The Life of Lilith Fallon: The Making Of Relationships
by Katsa101
Summary: Agent Lilith Fallon is back. What will happened after Reid and Lilith kissed? Will they get together? What will the team think? How will Lilith's involvement affect the next year of the BAU team? Reid/OC Sequel to: The Life of Lilith Fallon.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Doubt**

 _Lilith danced around her house wearing shorts and white t-shirt, listening to music. She faintly heard the doorbell and walked over to it. She looked through the peephole to see Reid standing there, looking nervous._

 _'_ _Hey Reid, what's up?' Lilith asked as she opened the door. Reid walked into the room looking determined and nervous._

 _'_ _Spencer, what's wrong?' Lilith asked worried as she turned down her music._

 _'_ _Okay, so after everything that's happened from me getting kidnapped, to my drug addiction, to our fight and now Gideon losing Sarah. Life is too uncertain not to take chances. When Gideon told me he regretted not telling Sarah how he felt, that hit close to home for me' Reid explained quickly as Lilith listened carefully._

 _'_ _No more fear, no more holding back' Reid said looking into Lilith's eyes before pulling her close to him and kissing her softly._

Lilith froze in shock before returning the kiss. Their moment was interrupted by Lilith's phone buzzing.

"Sorry" She whispered, pulling away from a breathless Reid. She walked over to her table and looked at the message she had just received.

 **Come to my office. ASAP.**

It was from Section Chief Erin Strauss. Lilith looked confused before looking up at Reid.

'I'm sorry, I need to go' Lilith said sadly before placing a hand on Reid's cheek and kissing him softly before leaving her house. She drove to the office in silence, her mind running with different thoughts about what just happened with Reid and what Chief Strauss wanted with her.

Lilith knocked on Chief Strauss's office nervously.

'Come in' She said and Lilith walked in and took a seat opposite her.

'Now Lilith, I allowed Agent Hotchner and Agent Gideon to put you in the B.A.U because I knew how badly you wanted it. Everyone did. You were never exactly shy about letting us know. But there were those who didn't think assigning you to the B.A.U was a good idea. They thought you were still haunted by your past. They thought that you wouldn't survive the trauma of witnessing the same things that happened to you. I believed in you, however. It's time to pay back the faith I had. Your team is in trouble. They've lost sight of the big picture. I believe they are reckless and at times out of control. It's time for Agent Hotchners career to come to an end. And if you want to stay in the B.A.U. Agent Fallon, you're going to help me make that happen' Strauss said to Lilith in her office. Before Lilith could respond though her phone buzzed.

'We have a case' Lilith said, still in shock over what just transpired.

'I expect updates from you' She said before dismissing her.

…...

The entire briefing and plane trip Lilith hadn't spoken a word. She was in her own world, but no one except Reid noticed. Reid went over and sat next to Lilith.

'Lilith' Reid said softly, placing a hand on her arm, bringing her attention out of her mind and into the present.

'Huh?' Lilith asked confused.

'Are you okay?' Reid asked worried.

'What? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Sorry just tired and a lot on my mind' Lilith replied forcing a smile as the plane landed in Flagstaff, Arizona.

'Jim Griffith' A man introduced.

'Hi, Jennifer Jareau. Thanks for meeting us here' JJ introduced as the team walked off the plane.

'Thanks for taking us on so quickly' Jim replied.

'Yeah. The faster we get here, the faster we can help stave off panic' JJ said.

'I hear that' Jim said.

'What can you tell us about the university?' Reid asked.

'It's small, tight-knit. Dorms are still single-sex. Draws from all over the county, but students are mostly the arty type' Jim explained.

'Have you increased uniform presence on campus?' Morgan asked.

'Yeah. Doubled it' Jim explained.

'Any other measures?' Lilith added, her mind back focused on the case.

'I got security shuttles running 24/7, and as of tonight, I've imposed a 10:00 curfew' Jim explained.

'We need a corner of your precinct so we can set up shop' Hotch said.

'You got it. You need to get to the hotel first?' Jim asked.

'No. Spree killings in a confined area are a race. He's racing to kill as many as he can. We're racing to stop him' Gideon said as we jumped in the cars provided and drove to the police station.

….

'I've got men at every exit point on campus' Jim said as Gideon, Morgan and JJ arrived at the latest crime scene.

'She had her mace out, but she didn't use it?' JJ asked.

'And it's well lit. He's not afraid of being seen' JJ added.

'How often do the shuttles run?' Morgan asked.

'Every 10 minutes' Jim explained.

'Were all the other victims posed like this, with their arms crossed?' JJ asked.

'Yeah. Why?' Jim asked.

'It's a classic sign of remorse. The unsub kills the victim, then immediately feels bad about it, so he poses them like this so they'll rest in peace' Morgan explained.

'You can tell that just by the arms?' Jim asked.

'That's why you called us here, to build a psychological profile of your killer' Morgan explained.

'How long will it take your men to clear the scene?' Gideon asked.

'A few hours' Jim replied.

'Lucky there's a curfew, otherwise there'd be a mob scene' JJ stated.

'Have Hotch set up at the precinct. We'll run everything through him. By the time this campus wakes up, I want a handle on this' Gideon said simply.

…

The next morning Morgan and Gideon went to talk to the Dean with Jim.

'Dean Suzanne Cable, Special Agents Morgan and Gideon' Jim introduced.

'Thank you for being here' Suzanne said.

'Wish we didn't have to be' Gideon replied.

'So, tell me, how am I supposed to keep these women safe?' Suzanne asked

'I have security cameras being installed in virtually every corner of the campus, and that's coming out of the city's budget. It's not the school's' Jim explained.

'I want to shut down the school' Suzanne said.

'That's a viable choice' Morgan said.

'But?' Suzanne asked.

'If the killer is part of the campus, he may simply leave once the school shuts down. When classes restart, there's a good chance he'll kill again' Morgan explained.

'What would you do in my place?' Suzanne asked Gideon.

'I can't say' Gideon said honestly.

'Shut it down. I can't justify keeping these kids locked up in a pen while someone hunts them' Suzanne stated.

'Realistically, it'll take 2 or 3 days to empty campus. I'm afraid that'll be our window for catching this guy' Gideon said as they left Dean Suzanne and walked back towards the car.

'What do you need from me?' Jim asked.

'You said you're installing security cameras?' Morgan asked.

'Yeah, this afternoon' Jim explained.

'Can they be functional by nightfall?' Morgan asked.

'I'll make sure' Jim said.

'We'll need as many men as you can on duty. If the unsub's part of campus life, he's gonna know it's about to shut down. Next few days, that's his last chance to hunt' Gideon explained.

'Uniform presence helps, but it'd also be good to have some of your younger officers go in plain clothes, try to blend in' Morgan added.

'I can ask my men to work double shifts till we're evacuated. I'll call campus security and have them do the same' Jim said.

'Good' Gideon said firmly.

….


	2. Chapter 2

Meanwhile, JJ and Reid were talking to the female students.

'I spoke to Amy's parents. Funeral services will be held on Sunday in Chicago. They're arriving later today to bring her home. They asked me to let you know that they will be staying downtown at the mainline hotel. If any of you would like to visit or pay your respects, they'd like you to feel free to do so' JJ explained once they had gathered all the students from the victim's dorms.

'How did you all let this happen? What? Everybody is thinking it. You are the FBI, the campus is crawling with police, and she gets murdered waiting for the security shuttle' A student named Katie snapped.

'That's not helpful, Katie' Stephanie said.

'Actually, it is. The fact that your friend was killed in such a well-lit area with a police presence indicates that the killer is most likely part of this campus. He's not an outsider. He's someone who wouldn't raise alarm with the police or potential victims' Reid explained.

'You should also be aware that the 3 victims were brunette. At this point, we do consider it an intentional pattern' JJ added before the group separated.

'I'm sorry about before' Katie said as Reid and JJ walked over to them.

'I'm sorry about your friend' JJ said.

'Uh, your R.A. Told us that you guys were at the library last night Did you see Amy there?' Reid asked.

'We didn't go with her, but we saw her there. I thought she left before us' A student named Alisa said.

'Her bag wasn't in her cubicle, or else we would have waited' Katie added.

'Did you notice anyone she might have been talking too earlier?' JJ asked.

'Was it like her to be walking alone, even in a dangerous situation like this?' Reid asked.

'She wasn't the victim type' Katie stated.

'It's almost impossible to pinpoint who's the most vulnerable. That's why we're trying to teach you how to best protect yourselves' Reid explained.

'I just mean that she was strong, and she was smart. I don't know why she didn't at least mace him' Katie said

'Are a lot of girls carrying mace?' JJ asked.

'Pepper spray, mace, switchblades. If you can buy it online or find it at the army-navy store, we've all bought it' Katie explained.

'Are you sure about who he's killing? I mean, brunettes?' Alisa asked, both women were brunettes.

'Pretty sure. Yeah' JJ said sadly.

…..

'Did the other victims have this much overkill?' Lilith asked the coroner once she arrived at the morgue.

'Death was caused by a single, very forceful stab wound to the heart' The coroner explained.

'Yeah. He broke through the breastbone' Lilith said as she took photos.

'And after that, he just lashed out at random' The coroner added.

'Well, no defensive wounds. She didn't even hold her hands up to fight him off' Lilith commented.

'The first 2 victims were the same' The coroner explained.

'Did you run toxicology screens?' Lilith asked.

'None of the others were drugged. Considering that she was standing waiting for a shuttle, my guess is she wasn't either' The coroner concluded and Lilith left the morgue just as her phone rang.

'Fallon' Lilith said answering it.

'Good morning, Lilith' Straus said into the phone. Lilith froze.

'Agent Fallon?' Straus asked.

'I'm here' Lilith said.

'I'm just checking in' Straus said.

'Checking in?' Lilith asked annoyed.

'On your case. The college girls' Straus explained.

'Uh, we don't know that much yet, ma'am' Lilith explained.

'But you will let me know if there's anything to report, won't you?' Straus asked.

'I really have to get back to work' Lilith said, avoiding the conversation.

'Of course. You know where you can reach me' Straus said before hanging up. Lilith leant against her rental car and sighed.

'What am I going to do?' She whispered to herself.

…..

'Have many days will it take to evacuate the students?' Hotch asked once the team had gotten back to the local station.

'2,3 days, tops' Gideon said taking a sip of his coffee.

'You think it's premature?' Hotch asked.

'Do we have a choice?' Gideon asked.

'Detective, can you gather your men? We'd like to present a rough profile' Hotch said.

'Got it All right, grab a seat. Let's go. Anywhere' Jim said to his men as the team stood in front of them.

'We know everyone's tired, working overtime. We want to tell you how much we appreciate it' Gideon said.

'We'd like to give you a rough profile of the man we're all looking for. This is someone with access He's managed to move in a small community with a high police presence without raising suspicion' Hotch started.

'Which means there's a good chance that this is someone you've seen' Lilith added.

'This unsub has killed 3 women in 4 days. That's what we call a spree killer. Now, most likely, something has happened in the past few days to set him off' Morgan continued.

'Because he kills white, brunette women, that stressor probably has to do with a woman in his life who fits the same description- wife, mother, girlfriend. Women he's killing, they're most likely a substitute' Gideon stated.

'What we need you to do is look at people who are part of the campus fabric. See if anyone fits the bill- students, professors, support staff' Lilith explained.

'I'm sorry, but how are my men supposed to know about somebody's home life?' Jim asked.

'Well, the people around him have seen him devolving. If you suspect someone on campus, talk to anyone who knows him, find out if he's recently found religion, been drinking, even if he's been harming himself.

'He may feel emasculated. Considering the stressor and the victimology, there's a good chance that rejection is a recurring theme in his life' Morgan explained.

'This unsub displays a great amount of anger, stabs his victims repeatedly, even after they're dead. Seconds later, he feels remorse. It's possible that his guilt is because his victims were in a position to trust him' Gideon explained.

'How's that?' A woman asked.

'As we said, we think he's a part of campus life. The victims, they feel safe around him. He's able to get close' Morgan answered.

'He's also able to kill these women without them fighting back. Not one of them has defensive wounds on their hands' Lilith added.

'Like if they'd been tasered first' The woman said.

'That's possible. Why?' Hotch asked as Lilith walked over to her files.

'Security guards on campus aren't allowed guns. They carry Tasers' Jim explained.

'Can you get me an employment list for campus security?' Gideon asked before following Lilith into the other room.

'What is it?' Gideon asked.

'These markings could have easily come from a Taser' Lilith explained showing him a photo.

'Employment list, campus security. How we gonna narrow this down?' Jim asked walking into the room.

'This unsub chose a closed community on purpose. He'd want to inject himself into the investigation. Can you check the records, find out if any of these security guards responded to every crime scene?' Gideon asked.

'You got it' Jim said walking off.

'In the meantime, call Garcia. Have her check the list against criminal records?" Gideon said before leaving as well. Lilith pulled out her phone and called Garcia.

'Talk to me, girlfriend' Garcia said.

'I need to give you a list of security guards' Lilith explained and began to read the list of names.

'I got nothing' Garcia said.

'Nothing?' Lilith asked frustrated.

'Nada. Security guards are all clean, squeaky. No criminal records' Garcia explained.

'What about a recent rejection? Something set him off. Any of these guys get fired recently, or did their wife leave?' Lilith asked.

'I'm sorry, Lil. That's far too general, even for my powers of snooping' Garcia said.

'Ok. Ok. you're a security guard…' Lilith said thinking out loud.

'I'm not sure I like where this is going' Garcia said.

'You probably had higher ambitions' Lilith continued.

'Easy' Garcia said playing along.

'Could you cross-check these guys against police and military records? See if any of them got kicked out or rejected' Lilith asked.

'I got one, but it's not recent' Garcia explained.

'Give it to me anyway' Lilith said.

'Nathan Tubbs, rejected from the police academy,2003. Failed his psych eval' Garcia explained.

'I got a list of responders. Only 4 guards were at every scene' Jim said walking back into the room. Lilith grabbed a sheet and saw the same name.

'Nathan Tubbs. Garcia, what else can you give me on Tubbs?' Lilith asked.

'I got a court appearance 6 days ago. Looks like the judge gave his wife full custody of their daughter. No visitation rights' Garcia explained.

'How much you want to bet his ex-wife is a brunette? You are the best' Lilith said happily.

'Word' Garcia said before hanging up.

'We've got a possible' Lilith said walking over to the rest of the group. The team minus Reid and JJ all went to Tubbs's house and broke down the door with their guns out.

'Clear!' Gideon called out.

'Bathroom's clear!' Lilith shouted.

'Gideon' Morgan said showing him a ripped picture of a brunette woman.

'I've got his work schedule here. He's not on duty' Lilith said.

'Where is he?' Gideon asked.

…..


	3. Chapter 3

'Nathan Tubbs! Hands where I can see 'em! Hands where I can see them!' Morgan yelled as they walked up to a stopped car with Tubbs and a young, frightened brunette.

'Get out of the car' Gideon said.

'What's going on?' Tubbs asked.

'Get out of the car' Morgan said firmly.

'What is this about?' Tubbs asked again before Gideon and Morgan ripped him out of the car and cuffed him.

'You ok? Did he hurt you?' Lilith asked opening the door to young woman.

'No' She said clearly scared and in shock.

'Ok. It's ok. Ok. It's ok' Lilith said wrapping an arm around the girl and walking her away.

'I was protecting her' Tubbs said as Gideon searched him and found a knife.

'What's this?' Gideon asked.

'This is over' Morgan said as they shoved him into the police car.

….

'Am I under arrest?' Tubbs asked Gideon back in the interrogation room.

'I just want to visit for a while' Gideon said calmly.

'I didn't murder anyone' Tubbs said.

'You weren't supposed to be working tonight' Gideon said.

'They asked us to pick up extra shifts. There's a killer out there' Tubbs said.

'Oh, I know. You were at every crime scene' Gideon stated.

'It's my job' Tubbs replied.

'You seem to be doing it better than any of your co-workers' Gideon said.

'People should be thanking me' Tubbs said annoyed.

'Thank you' Gideon said sarcastically.

'You think just because I'm a security guard, I don't understand sarcasm?' Tubbs snapped.

'Are you angry?' Gideon asked.

'I- I know how interrogation works' Tubbs replied.

'Do you lose your temper easily?' Gideon asked.

'Is this fun for you?' Tubbs asked.

'No' Gideon said simply. Hotch walking away from the interrogation and over to Lilith.

'How's it going out there?' Lilith asked.

'Gideon's winding him up' Hotch explained.

'Smart' Lilith said.

"One who exhibits that much overkill is bound to explode. How goes it in here?' Hotch asked.

'Means of subduing the victim, potential weapon, source of displaced rage, stressor, evidence of a self-destructive spiral, and trophies of his kills. Everything that points to the profile, yet nothing we could hold him on' Lilith said annoyed as all the evidence sat on the table in front of her. Hotch and Lilith went back and watched the rest of the interrogation.

'That looks like it hurts' Gideon commented as Tubbs chewed his nails.

'I've been under a lot of stress' Tubbs replied.

'The murders? Your job?' Gideon asked.

'A lot of things' Tubbs said.

'You keep clips of the murders on your wall' Gideon stated.

'I'm working on the case' Tubbs replied before Lilith walked into the room and gave Gideon a file. Tubbs paused and stared at Lilith.

'You had a knife on you' Gideon stated.

'We're not allowed guns' Tubbs replied.

'Are you allowed knives?' Gideon asked but got no response because Tubbs was staring at Lilith.

'She's pretty, isn't she?' Gideon asked as Lilith left the room.

'Not my type' Tubbs muttered.

'The girl you picked up tonight was a brunette' Gideon stated.

'Oh, was she?' Tubbs asked.

'Telling me you didn't notice? Do you like brunettes?' Gideon asked.

'Used to' Tubbs said.

'Not anymore' Gideon whispered.

'Not so much' Tubbs agreed before Lilith walked back into the room where JJ and Reid had arrived and was talking to Morgan. Reid looked up at Lilith and smiled but Lilith didn't look at him and sat down on the other end of the table.

'You know; I wouldn't mind some actual physical evidence' Morgan said sighing.

'Do we have anything?' JJ asked.

'The knife Tubbs had on him is inconclusive. The Taser didn't have any prints on it, which I guarantee means we're not gonna get a DNA match either' Morgan explained.

'I'll stop by the security offices. If Tubbs kept any trophies linking himself to the crimes, he might have kept 'em in his locker' Reid said.

'Lilith, you want to come?' Reid asked.

'No, Reid, you go by yourself. Go to the hotel. Check in. They're not gonna hold our rooms forever. We'll go in shifts' Morgan said.

'I'll sleep when he confesses' Lilith said and followed Reid.

'We all will' JJ added before going and watching the rest of the interrogation with Hotch.

'Why don't you charge me?' Tubbs asked.

'Are you guilty?' Gideon asked.

'Well, you seem to have already made up your mind that I am' Tubbs said.

'I told you, you and I are just visiting' Gideon explained.

'Right' Tubbs muttered.

'Do you really want to know what I think? I think you chew your cuticles to punish yourself over what your hands have been doing. I think you hate your ex-wife. I think you want to kill her. But you can't because she's the mother of your daughter, so you find girls who remind you of her and you kill them instead. You stab them over and over, because they deserve it. If not now, they will sooner or later. You're just saving someone else the nightmare later on. And then. you remember your daughter, how you're actually supposed to be looking after these girls. So you feel bad, and you. cross their arms over their chests, try to give 'em back some of their dignity' Gideon explained.

'My job is protecting these girls' Tubbs said firmly.

'Like you can't protect your daughter' Gideon said.

'I am a good father' Tubbs snapped.

'Why won't the judge let you see her?' Gideon asked.

'I'm not gonna talk about that' Tubbs said.

'Why did you fail your police psychological evaluation?' Gideon asked.

'I want a lawyer' Tubbs said and Gideon left the room.

…

'Lilith, what is going on with you?' Reid asked in the car trip to the security office.

'What do you mean?' Lilith asked softly.

'You have barely talked to anyone since this case started and you can't even look at me. Did I do something wrong? Should I not have kissed you?' Reid asked worried and Lilith looked at him.

'This has nothing to do with that kiss. I… I just need some time. Please. I will tell you everything soon enough just be patient with me' Lilith begged and Reid sighed but agreed. They walked into the building over and over to Tubbs locker. Reid broke the lock and opened it to reveal some magazines and some street clothes.

'Bag these, get 'em to a lab' Reid said handing them to a local police cop.

….


	4. Chapter 4

'Jim, do you mind giving me a reason you're holding my client?' Tubbs's lawyer, Paul asked after talking to Tubbs.

'We were looking for someone who was part of the campus, who had motive and opportunity and injected himself into the investigation' Jim explained.

'So you had a hunch' Paul stated.

'We have a comprehensive psychological profile. Your client fits exactly' Gideon explained.

'You did tell him we deal in facts here, right?' Paul asked.

'Don't be a jackass, Paul. I invited him here' Jim said.

'My client was working during each of the murders' Paul said.

'He was present at every scene' Jim argued.

'Because it's his job. There's not one witness placing him anywhere near one of the murders. There's not a shred of physical evidence' Paul said.

'Your client was apprehended with a young woman. She fits the description of each of the victims' Gideon said.

'Could you imagine the uproar on this campus if a brunette woman was killed and people found out a security guard let her walk to her car alone?' Paul asked before Morgan motioned for Gideon to come outside.

'Excuse me' Gideon said following Morgan.

'Did you get Tubbs' psych eval?' Gideon asked.

'Yep. Police shrink diagnosed him borderline with antisocial and sociopathic tendencies' Morgan explained.

'He's gonna be all over me. I need to make a decision' Jim said walking into the room.

'You can hold him for 72 hours without charging him. What do you think, Gideon?' Morgan asked.

'I think only a guilty man can lay his head down and sleep when he's facing 3 murder charges. It's physically exhausting- the killing, the secrets, evading the police. It's almost a relief when you don't have to hide anymore' Gideon said simply as they walked back out to Paul.

'Tell me you're doing the right thing' Paul said.

'We're holding him for 72 hours' Jim stated.

…

'Everyone is so much younger than I remember being' JJ said as Lilith, Reid and JJ walked through the campus.

'It's a weird age. You want to be treated like an adult, but you're still used to someone else solving your problems for you' Lilith said laughing.

'All I remember is trying to figure out who I was' JJ said.

'All I remember is trying to hide who I was' Lilith muttered.

'Hey, JJ' Reid said as Katie and Alisa walked over to them.

'Hey, there's a rumour going around that you caught the guy. Is it—is it true?' Alisa asked.

'We have someone in custody' JJ said.

'Thank you' Alisa said hugging JJ.

'I'm going to get some rest' Lilith said before walking off.

'Hey Reid, uh, I don't mean to pry but is something going on between you and Lilith? Did you guys have another fight?' JJ asked.

'Oh, um…' Reid started to say.

'You don't have to tell me' JJ said.

'No, I need some advice actually. I… I kind of, kissed Lilith' Reid stuttered and JJ's face lit up.

'That's awesome! Wait, then why is things so weird? Did she not return it?' JJ asked worried.

'No, she did and it was great but we were interrupted by her getting a text message and she had to leave suddenly. Since then she has hardly talked or even looked at me' Reid explained.

'Did you try to talk to her?' JJ asked.

'Yeah, she said that it had nothing to do with the kiss and she just needs some time' Reid said sadly.

'She returned the kiss, right?' JJ asked.

'Yeah' Reid said smiling at the memory.

'Then trust her and give her the time she needs' JJ said simply.

….

The next morning the team heard about another attack. Morgan, JJ, Reid, Lilith and Gideon all arrived at the crime scene.

'Griffith, we gotta get this barrier pushed back. We're getting pressed' Morgan said quickly.

'Joe, give me 10 more feet on the tape, huh?' Jim ordered.

'I thought you had someone in custody' Suzanne said.

'We do' Jim replied.

'Ma'am, can you help me with the students?' JJ asked.

'How?' Suzanne asked.

'Tell them we understand that they're upset, but we need room to do our job' JJ explained before they walked off.

'I guess we can release Tubbs after all' Jim said to Gideon.

'Well, I think that'd be a mistake' Gideon said.

'What are you talking about?' Jim asked.

'I don't think it was the same killer' Gideon said.

'You gotta be kidding me' Jim said annoyed.

'She has blunt-force trauma to the head. She was knocked out, not tasered' Lilith said.

'She's a brunette, stabbed to death on this campus' Jim argued.

'These stab wounds are shallow. They're hesitation marks. Whoever killed her either wasn't sure they wanted to be killing, or they never tried it before' Reid continued.

'There are no defensive wounds, just like every other victim' Jim said.

'That's not surprising, considering the head wound' Lilith said.

'Excuse me. Sir, uh, this was dropped at the precinct. There were no prints on it' A local said handing Jim a piece of paper.

'"He's innocent. I'm still out here." Now do you believe we have the wrong guy?' Jim asked.

'The first unsub showed remorse. He wouldn't brag about or flaunt his latest kill' Reid said.

'I don't believe this' Jim said annoyed.

'This victim wasn't posed. The papers never included details about the bodies. If this was a copycat, he could only do it the way he assumed the first killer did' Gideon said.

'Look, I asked you guys here because I needed your help. You're the experts, but right now, it sounds to me like you're trying to cover your own asses' Jim said.

'Hey, look around. This is not the place for this conversation' Morgan said firmly.

'I am so sorry' JJ said walking over to Katie.

'You said you caught him' Katie said angrily.

'I-I said we had someone in custody' JJ corrected.

'Alisa's dead and you're arguing over wording?' Katie snapped.

'No. I-I'm so sorry' JJ said before Katie spat on her.

'You need to keep people out of here, man' Reid snapped running over to JJ.

'What? I'm fine. It's nothing' JJ said hurriedly.

….


	5. Chapter 5

'Just wait here for a second' Hotch said to Paul as the team got back from the crime scene.

'Tubbs' lawyer's been here for the last hour demanding we release him. What's happened out there?' Hotch asked.

'I think we got a copycat' Gideon stated.

'Do you want to tell me why the hell my client hasn't been released?' Paul demanded.

'Cut me some slack here, Paul' Jim said.

'You've got another murder and a note from the real killer' Paul argued.

'We're discussing that' Jim said.

'I'm not saying he's not a creep. I'm just saying he didn't do this' Paul said.

'Just take a seat, please. Ok? Come on. Give us a second' Jim said and Paul walked off.

'Everybody still in the conference room?' Gideon asked Hotch.

'Yeah' Hotch said.

'How long can you hold that lawyer off?' Gideon asked.

'You kidding? I was a prosecutor. I can hold him off for days' Hotch said seriously.

'So, you think we're making a mistake, huh?' Gideon asked Morgan.

'I know we're tired. There's a lot of pressure. We all want to believe that profile is right' Morgan said.

'I believe it is' Gideon said.

'What if we're wrong, Gideon? Tubbs enticed that girl to get in his car. There's nothing to suggest that the unsub has ever done that before' Morgan asked.

'There's also nothing to suggest he hasn't' Gideon countered.

'I know how bad cops want to believe they got the right guy. I've been on both sides of that' Morgan said.

'This last kill had a different signature' Gideon said firmly.

'I know, I also know that Richard Jewell fit the profile of the Olympic bomber to a "t," and he was innocent, but the accusations tore apart his life' Morgan countered.

'I can't believe we're actually thinking about letting Tubbs go' JJ said as Morgan and Gideon walked into the conference room.

'J.J., We got no evidence. Tubbs' lawyer's not gonna let him talk, so we're not about to get a confession out of him' Morgan explained.

'Yeah, but we can still hold him for another 48 more hours' Lilith said.

'You can't hold a suspect indefinitely with no evidence' Morgan said.

'Not indefinitely,48 hours. It's enough time to clear the campus' JJ argued.

'Can we please forget about Tubbs for a minute? Let's just say we have a copycat. What are we talking about?' Gideon asked.

'The most common examples are ones that people don't always think of being copycats- uh, kids who commit school shootings, also teen suicides. They tend to come in clusters' Reid stated.

'Both models, we're talking about an age range that's consistent with the campus' Lilith added.

'School shootings fit the classic copycat model. They want their own piece of the glory; they're competing' Gideon said.

'Ok, but that doesn't jibe with whoever wrote this note. "He's innocent." It's about freeing Tubbs, not trying to steal any credit' Morgan said.

'So, could Tubbs have a partner?' JJ asked.

'Yeah, sure. That's possible, but I think it's highly unlikely. I mean, come on, look at Tubbs. He's a loner. He's antisocial. He's not the partner type' Morgan said.

'Could be more like a groupie. After Kenneth Bianchi was arrested, he actually convinced a woman he hardly knew to attempt a murder so the police would think the hillside strangler was still at large' Reid stated.

'But Tubbs subdues his victims first. He's not powerful. Not to mention the stabbing most likely means he's impotent' Lilith said.

'Groupie doesn't have to know that. All they have to believe is that Tubbs answers some need inside them. And whoever wrote this definitely needs something from Nathan Tubbs. "I'm still out her"' Gideon said sighing.

'I can't believe he's walking out of here' JJ said angrily as Tubbs walked out of the station.

'It's the right thing to do' Morgan said simply.

'Remind me of that the next time I have to tell someone their friend or daughter's been murdered' JJ snapped.

'You still think he's guilty, don't you?' Jim asked.

'Your security cams up and running?' Gideon asked.

'Yeah' Jim said.

'Good. We're gonna need 'em' Gideon said simply.

…

Hotch and Gideon were at the station watching Tubbs on the cameras and Morgan and Lilith were following Tubbs at a distance, when JJ got a call from Katie.

'Yeah, I'll meet you there' JJ said confused.

'I'll come with' Reid said and they left for the campus.

'I didn't know who else to call' Katie said simply.

'What is it?' JJ asked, still annoyed about getting spat on.

'Every girl I know is either bleaching her hair or buying a wig, and she goes and dyes her hair dark?' Katie asked.

'I agree it's weird, but… I don't think it's anything to be overly alarmed about. Is there something else?' JJ asked.

'I think I saw stories about the murders taped to her wall and there was, like, blood or something all over them' Katie explained.

'What can you tell us about Anna's usual mental state?' Reid asked.

'I don't know. No one really knows her very well. She doesn't play well with others; you know' Katie said.

'Anything?' JJ asked.

'I know she cuts herself. She covers it up, but people know' Katie said.

'Has she ever been violent towards others?' Reid asked.

'I don't think so' Katie said.

'Does she ever talk about suicide?' Reid asked.

'Talk to us' JJ said softly.

'She talks about it all the time. But everyone makes fun of her, like she thinks she's some goth chick Sylvia Plath' Katie explained.

'Hey, Gideon, it's Reid. Are Morgan and Lilith still following Tubbs? I think I know who we're looking for' Reid said calling Gideon.

'It's good that you called us' JJ said.

'It's not just the others who make fun of her. It's me, too' Katie said sadly.

…..

'Gideon, we got brunette that just approached Tubbs outside the security offices' Morgan said as they watched from a distance.

'Good. Hotch is having them uplink the security monitor' Gideon said.

'Ok, they're on the move. What do you want us to do?' Morgan asked.

'Stick with 'em. Keep your distance We have video. Hotch and I will be your eyes and ears' Gideon said.

'Got it. Let's go' Morgan said to Lilith and they followed the two from a distance.

'Yeah, they just walked into a courtyard. We can't get an eye line without them seeing us. Got an image?' Morgan asked calling Gideon and Hotch.

'Got 'em. Uh, the security camera microphone is unidirectional. The audio pickups are only good for so far. We've got it as loud as it can go without distorting' Hotch said.

'All we got to go on right now is a profile. I need you to get as close as you can until he makes a move on her or either one of 'em admits to murder' Gideon said.

'Ok. Just give us the go. Let's get close' Morgan said to Lilith and they moved as close as possible and waited.

'We can't move' Hotch said.

'No, he hasn't done anything' Gideon said.

'Hey, guys, talk to me. What's going on?' Morgan said.

'She's offering him a knife' Hotch explained.

'Did he take it?' Morgan asked.

'No' Hotch said.

'She wants to be a victim' Morgan explained to Lilith.

'Go, go, go!" Gideon said and Morgan and Lilith ran as quick as possible but it was too late, the girl had stabbed Tubbs.

'FBI! FBI!' Morgan called out.

'Put down the knife!' Lilith shouted out.

'Listen to her' Morgan said.

'Drop the knife!' Morgan shouted.

'Are you gonna shoot me?' The girl asked.

'Just put the knife down' Lilith said.

'Nobody's gonna shoot you' Morgan said and the girl turned the knife around and stabbed herself.

'No! No! No!' Lilith yelled as she ran over to the girl and tried to stop the bleeding.

'Call an ambulance!' Morgan shouted as he went to Tubbs and tried to stop the bleeding.

'Stay with me' Lilith said as Morgan and she looked at each other shocked.

…..

'I didn't even know you could take off this early' Jim said as they team got onto their jet.

'Ah, we wanted to leave at first light' JJ said.

'I get it. So I guess. thank you' Jim said.

'Thank you' JJ said.

'Gideon. you knew how this was gonna end, didn't you?' Morgan asked Gideon.

'I never thought anyone would die' Gideon said.

'No, of course not. I know that. I mean the copycat. You knew the two of them would find each other. That's why you let Tubbs go, isn't it?' Morgan asked.

'Look, I trusted the profile. At best, it's always just an educated guess' Gideon said and Morgan walked off.

'It was the best chance of catching them' Hotch said.

'I know' Gideon said.

'Anna Begley was ill. Her suicide may have been inevitable' Hotch stated.

'And Tubbs?' Gideon asked.

'He killed 3 women' Hotch said simply.

'Right. What if we were wrong?' Gideon asked.

…..

'I've been on the phone with the Flagstaff, Arizona, police all morning. Did you actually allow a disturbed college student to meet with a man you believed to be a serial killer?' Straus asked Hotch angrily.

'We didn't know who, but we knew a meeting would take place' Hotch said.

'We?' Straus asked.

'I, ma'am. It was my decision' Hotch said firmly.

'And now that student is dead' Straus said.

'She committed suicide, yes. After killing the unsub' Hotch confirmed.

'How could you let this happen?' Straus asked.

'It was not the outcome we had hoped for' Hotch said.

'It wasn't the outcome you had hoped for? That's your answer to me?' Straus snapped.

'Yes, ma'am' Hotch said simply.

'Give me your badge' Straus said angrily.

'Ma'am?' Hotch asked.

'You're suspended for 2 weeks without pay, pending an investigation of your conduct. And, Agent Hotchner. If it were solely up to me, you would never get these credentials back' Straus said firmly.

'Always a pleasure' Hotch said dryly.

….


	6. Chapter 6

**In Name and Blood**

'Reid?' JJ asked confused, waking up Reid as he slept in a lounge chair in Gideon's office.

'What are you doing here?' JJ asked confused.

'Gideon didn't answer his phone. I called him twice' Reid explained.

'Have you been here all night?' JJ asked.

'We were supposed to play chess' Reid explained.

'Here?' JJ asked.

'Uh, he hasn't been back to his apartment since, um...' Reid said trailing off.

'Right. I need to brief the team, so...' JJ said holding up some files.

'Is Hotch here?' Reid asked.

'Uh, he's not due for a half hour' JJ said as they walked into the conference room to find only Morgan.

'What, no Hotch, now no Gideon?' Morgan asked.

'No, not yet' JJ said.

'These guys have been out 2 weeks. You'd think the least they could do is be on time' Morgan said.

'Yeah, because you're never late' Reid joked.

'So, where's Fallon?' Morgan asked.

'Her phone keeps going straight to voicemail' JJ explained.

'Reid?' Morgan asked.

'We, uh, haven't really spoken to me in a few weeks' Reid said awkwardly.

'Well, this room just keeps getting smaller and smaller, doesn't it?' Morgan asked.

'Should we wait 15 minutes?' Reid asked.

'We can just brief them on the plane. Right now the police taskforce in Milwaukee needs our help. They've had 4 murders over the past 3 weeks, and in addition, another woman has been missing the last 2 days. They've all the women are in their 30s, married with children' JJ asked.

'Any connection between these victims?' Morgan asked.

'Just that they've all been abducted from the area of Wauwatosa, all from very public places, but there's no witnesses' JJ explained.

'How are we even certain it's the same killer?' Reid asked.

'Well, for starters... all of the bodies have been dumped in the city's third ward. And there's this' JJ said getting up a photo.

'Is that what I think it is?' Reid asked shocked.

'All the hearts have been cut from their bodies' JJ explained. Morgan, Reid and JJ left the conference room to head to the plane when Morgan saw Hotch.

'Hey, am I glad to see you' Morgan said happily.

'Where you headed?' Hotch asked.

'Milwaukee. Looks like an ugly one. I'll catch you up on the flight' Morgan said.

'I'm meeting with the section chief' Hotch explained.

'Ok, so I'll wait. I'm just glad you're back. Trust me when I tell you things have been a little bit shaky around here' Morgan said.

'Morgan, I'm requesting a transfer' Hotch said.

'Is that a joke?' Morgan asked.

'No, it's not a joke. Strauss has suspended me once already. The writings on the wall' Hotch said firmly.

'Hotch, we both know that suspension was bogus' Morgan said shocked.

'You'll get a new unit chief' Hotch said simply.

'What if we don't want a new unit chief?' Morgan asked.

'Well, maybe the next one won't be such a drill sergeant' Hotch joked.

'Look, man, are you a pain in my ass? Yes, sir. But wanting to hang out with you and needing you to lead this team are two very different things' Morgan said honestly.

'It's been a privilege' Hotch said simply before walking off and meeting with Straus in his office.

'I was hoping you'd do the right thing. Have you given any thought to what department you'll request?' Strauss asked.

'I was under the impression that if I left the B.A.U. I'd have my choice of posts' Hotch said.

'Well, I'll consider it after I fully complete my investigation. You were a prosecutor. What about heading up a white collar crime taskforce? That'll get you home at nights at a reasonable hour' Straus said before Lilith walking into the room.

'Sorry to interrupt' Lilith said looking at Straus.

'Sir, I've decided to resign from the FBI, effective immediately' Lilith said.

'I don't understand' Hotch said confused.

'I'm applying for a job in a local sex crimes unit. With my history, I have a pretty good chance of getting the job' Lilith explained.

'Fallon, I think that's a mistake' Hotch said.

'Well, don't try to talk me out of it. Garcia saw my name on the list and she already tried. If she can't talk someone out of doing something, no one can' Lilith joked but on the inside she was dying.

'Sorry for the interruption. But, sir, it's good to see you back. The team needs you. Ma'am' Lilith said more for Straus's benefit then anyone else's.

'I'll be overseeing this case until I can assign a replacement' Straus said.

'You don't have any field experience' Hotch said.

'My job is to protect the bureau. If I have to hold the team's hand for one case, so be it' Straus said.

'Ma'am, in order to function effectively, this team needs stability' Hotch said.

'The B.A.U. Has some very talented people and they're bureau assets. And I believe it's time that they were out from underneath you and Jason Gideon' Straus said firmly before leaving the room.

'Is it appropriate to ask whether I could talk you out of it?' Garcia asked as she walked into Hotch's office to find him packing.

'Heard you got a bigger office' Hotch said.

'A swanky new map and everything. It's the Milwaukee file. JJ wanted me to give it to you' Garcia said.

'I'm not working it' Hotch said simply.

'I'm just following orders. They found a new body this morning. The others are headed straight to the scene' Garcia explained before leaving.

….

'You know, from this angle, she almost looks human' JJ commented as they sat on the jet and watched Straus read the file.

'Has anyone talked to Lilith yet?' Reid asked.

'She was gone before I heard the news. She never told you her plans?' JJ asked.

'No… not a word' Reid said sadly, thinking that she was leaving because of their kiss.

'I told you, Reid, now we're down 2 agents and Gideon's M.I.A' Morgan said as Straus walked over to them.

'Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it's protocol to brief everyone before we arrive at the crime scene' Straus said.

'Yes, ma'am. This unsub is abducting women from very public places, with no witnesses. He holds them 48 hours, with no sexual assault, and then he dumps their bodies with their hearts carved out of their chests' JJ said as Morgan handed Straus a photo.

'There's an obvious dichotomy in the skill the unsub exhibits in abducting these women and the fact that he cuts their hearts out so crudely' Reid said.

'We're probably looking at someone in a psychotic break. Could be a butcher. Might be a hunter. Somebody who's very comfortable being around blood, but as you can see, he obviously doesn't have the skills of a surgeon' Morgan explained.

'So, do we have a working theory?' Straus asked.

'Sure we do. Somebody really doesn't like women' Morgan said before walking off to get some coffee.

….


	7. Chapter 7

'You the FBI?' A local detective asked as they got to the new crime scene.

'Derek Morgan. Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau, and section chief Strauss' Morgan introduced.

'Vic Wolynski, Milwaukee PD' Vic introduced.

'You worked the Jeffrey Dahmer case' Reid said.

'16 years ago' Vic said.

'I've studied it' Reid explained.

'And you remember my name?' Vic asked.

'He remembers everything' JJ said.

'It's it what he does' Morgan added.

'What can you tell us?' Straus asked.

'Uh, local merchant noticed her a few hours ago. Uh, but considering he didn't see her when he first came to work, uh, we figure she was dumped there between 7:50 and 8:05. Same window as the others' Vic explained.

'All the bodies were found in this area, right?' Morgan asked.

'Uh, Wauwatosa is an upper-middle-class suburb approximately 15 minutes from here. All the women were abducted from there in the afternoon and turned up here in the morning 2 days later' Vic explained.

'All this foot traffic and no one saw anything' JJ commented.

'Well, he, wraps up the bodies, uh, loosely so they're not immediately recognizable. Eventually the, uh, wrapping comes open. My guess is he, uh, has a van or a truck, something he can back up so he's shielded when he makes the drop' Vic explained.

'No prints on whatever he wraps them in?' Morgan asked.

'There have been traces of paint and wood stain, but most of it's just common stuff you'd get at any hardware store' Vic explained as they walked over to the body.

'He's trying to demean them, putting them out like trash' Reid commented.

'This guy might work or live around here. Gets off on the reaction to his... handiwork' Morgan added.

'What can you tell us about the victim?' JJ asked.

'She was taken from a supermarket. Her husband says that most days she would have been picking up her son at school, but he was spending the afternoon at a friend's' Vic explained.

'This is your fifth victim, right?' Straus asked.

'Yes' Vic said.

'You should have called us sooner' Straus said shocking JJ, Morgan and Reid.

'I thought we had a handle on it' Vic said.

'Apparently not' Straus snapped.

'Ma'am' JJ said and see took Straus aside.

'We need to work with these detectives' JJ said carefully.

'I'm sorry?' Straus asked rudely.

'We don't generally criticize them. It just really doesn't get us anything' JJ explained.

'Are you saying it wouldn't be helpful if he had contacted us sooner?' Straus asked.

'Well, of course. It's always, you know, the sooner the better' JJ said shocked.

'Right. And Agent Jareau... don't question me again' Straus snapped, shocking JJ. Morgan sighed before getting a call from Hotch. He walked away from the crime scene and answered.

'Hey' Morgan said.

'How's it going?' Hotch asked.

'Well, Strauss just offended the lead detective 45 seconds into her first crime scene' Morgan explained.

'I'm not surprised' Hotch said.

'This isn't about to get any better, is it?' Morgan asked.

'I doubt it. Morgan, listen, I've been looking at the file. Milwaukee schools start at 8:10 and they get out at 3:10. Every abduction has taken place within 15 minutes of school getting out. And each body was dumped within 15 minutes of the first bell. We could easily be looking at somebody who works in the school system' Hotch explained.

'Ok. Thanks, man' Morgan said.

'Any idea how's he's getting control of these women? Is he blitzing them or coercing them?' Hotch asked.

'So far we're coming up blank' Morgan said.

'Ok. Keep me posted' Hotch said hanging up.

…..

"Hey. What do we know?" Vic said walking into the local police station with the team.

"Woman's name is Claire Thompson. Husbands been trying to reach her on the cell phone. When she didn't pick up, he drove to the department store. Car's in the parking lot, but she's not inside" A local cop explained to the group.

"Is that the husband?" JJ asked looking over a man sitting worried at the desk.

"Yeah" The cop said making Morgan turn to JJ.

"JJ, Take Strauss with you" Morgan said as JJ and Strauss with you.

"I had the department store uplink the security footage to your analyst in Quantico" The local cop explained.

"Perfect. My desk is over here" Vic explained as they walked through the local station. Morgan pulled out his phone and called Garcia.

"Garcia, baby girl, please tell me something I want to hear" Morgan said into the phone.

"You're a statuesque god of sculpted chocolate thunder" Garcia said grinning.

"How about something I don't already know?" Morgan asked laughing.

"I have a sweet tooth?" Garcia asked coyly.

"Did you locate the missing girl on the security footage?" Morgan asked getting back to business.

"On it. It's coming your way in 5,4,3,2..." Garcia said before sending the video.

"I got it" Morgan said leaning over the desk and bringing up the video footage.

"Keep me on speaker, will you?" Garcia said as Morgan put her on speaker as Strauss and JJ walked over.

"She doesn't seem to be on anyone's radar" Reid commented trying to keep his mind focused on the case and not on Lilith leaving the team.

"Look. Who's the kid?" Morgan asked.

"Does Claire Thompson have a son?" Vic asked looking at JJ.

"No. 2-year-old daughter" JJ explained.

"It looks like the kid's lost" Reid commented as they watched the missing woman walk off with the child.

"Garcia, this all you got?" Morgan asked.

"That's it. They turned down a hallway without no security camera and we lose them" Garcia explained as the footage stopped.

"I'll get a list of missing kids, see if we can make out a resemblance to any of them" Vic said.

"Oh, damn" Morgan said sighing.

"What?" Reid asked confused.

"Something Hotch said. All the abductions and disposals have been timed around school. We thought the unsub might work in the system. What if this guy's actually using his own son to lure his victims?" Morgan asked making the team sigh. They gathered the local cops together to give the profile.

"Detective Wolynski told us you're trying to single out trucks and vans. That's smart. The unsub is dumping his victims in the business district, so I'd agree with you; he's probably not driving something that would stand out. He may even have some type of company logo on the side of his vehicle as well" Morgan explained leaning on a chair.

"We know that he abducts the women in Wauwatosa and dumps their bodies somewhere in the third ward. Most unsubs keep their area of control- where they kill their victims- triangulated between the two points" Reid explained looking at the map behind them.

"Which means that the unsub probably lives in Wauwatosa or the third ward. Somewhere in that area. And the people who live there know the unsub" Morgan added.

"There's no sexual component to these crimes, which means it's more about the unsub making a point. He's cutting their hearts out" Reid commented.

"It might just be that this is the sickest way the unsub knows to disfigure the women and... throw them out like trash. We can't really know" Morgan explained.

"The two most important questions to ask ourselves are: What is this guy doing with these women for 48 hours? And why is he willing to use his own son to abduct them?" Reid asked rhetorically.

"And if he is truly using his own son, then it's likely that he has what we call borderline personality disorder. Now, borderlines- they think that all relationships revolve entirely around them. When they set their mind to something, absolute- there is no gray area" Morgan explained.

"It would also manifest in a way that would be visible to people around the unsub. Intense bouts of anger and depression, problems drinking. He would also be highly sensitive to rejection" Reid added.

"And one last thing. It is not easy to crack clean into breastbone. You're dealing with a guy who works with his hands and he's used to hard labour. At the very least, he's not afraid to get dirty" Morgan finished, dismissing the local cops.

…..


	8. Chapter 8

Hotch was in his kitchen, feeding his son Jack some Mac N Cheese when the phone rang. Haylee picked it up and walked over to Hotch.

"It's Morgan" Haley said sighing.

"Thanks. Yeah, what's up?" Hotch said taking the phone and walked into the lounge room.

"You know I wouldn't be calling you unless I was desperate" Morgan said regretfully.

"Still no Gideon?" Hotch asked worried.

"No, not a word. Reid's starting to worry about him and Lilith. He is blaming himself for Lilith leaving the team as well. JJ said they he kissed her before she started to retreat into herself. We really need you out here, man" Morgan said desperately.

"Morgan, I've already put in for the transfer. It's a done deal" Hotch said simply.

"No, you didn't. Not yet, anyway. It's not in the system, Hotch, not yet. Come on. You know this case. You could pitch in on just this one. We think he might be using his own kid to lure these women, man. He just picked up another one" Morgan explained firmly.

"Hotch!" Morgan snapped when Hotch didn't reply.

"I got to think" Hotch said hanging up while looking at Haley and Jack. Hotch sighed knowing what he needed to do and went upstairs to start packing.

"What the hell are you doing?" Haley snapped walking into the room.

"Keep your voice down. Gideon didn't show in Milwaukee and the team needs me" Hotch explained calmly while packing.

"I don't believe this" Haley said annoyed.

"Don't worry, it won't affect my transfer. I've been working on an existing case" Hotch explained.

"You're not working on this case" Haley snapped.

"I can't just switch

off my loyalty, Haley" Hotch argued.

"They suspended you for 2 weeks. Who are you being loyal to?" Haley argued.

"The team needs me" Hotch said simply.

"No, they need Gideon" Haley snapped.

"Do you know what this guy's doing to women in Milwaukee? He's using his son to lure them, he's holding them, and then he's cutting their hearts out" Hotch explained firmly.

"Aaron, stop! Don't make me the monster here. I feel sick about these women, but when this case is over, there will be another one. And another one and another one. It is never going to stop" Haley shouted.

"This is who I am" Hotch said simply.

"No... this is what you do" Haley begged.

"I'm trying to do the right thing, here and there, and I would really appreciate a little support" Hotch begged.

"That's right. 'Because you always need to be the hero" Haley said spitefully.

"Don't give me that" Hotch snapped.

"No. Obviously, a happy life isn't enough for you. Aaron, I need you to here" Haley said

"And I will be, as soon as this case is over" Hotch said grabbed his bag and suit jacket.

"Yeah, well, make sure you give your son a kiss before you leave" Haley spat as Hotch walked out of the bedroom.

…..

After returning home Lilith spent the next few hours curled up in a ball on the lounge. She was depressed about having to leave the team and that fact that Reid was no doubt blaming himself for it.

"I've screwed everything up with him" Lilith whispered to herself before someone knocked on the front door. She walked over and looked through the peephole to find Hotch standing there. She opened the door.

"Can I come in?" Hotch asked and Lilith nodded silently before letting Hotch inside.

"The team needs us. They're working on a case in Milwaukee. Gideon hasn't shown up, and don't tell me you quit or I put in for a transfer" Hotch explained making Lilith look at him confused.

"You put in for a transfer?" Lilith asked.

"They're both still hung up in the system, so technically we're in dereliction of duty by not being there" Hotch finished explained.

"I'm sorry, I can't go" Lilith said, her heart-breaking inside.

"Right. Sorry I barged in" Hotch said before going to leave but Lilith stopped him.

"Wait. Wait. Can I ask- why are you really here?" Lilith asked with a sighed.

"I told you" Hotch said making Lilith stare at him deadpanned. Hotch smiled weakly before turning to Lilith.

"I think Strauss came to you and asked for dirt on me" Hotch explained simply making Lilith tense up.

"Why would she do that?" Lilith asked emotionlessly.

"I think if you have your eyes on top leadership at the FBI, you want to know who might stand in your way" Hotch explained calmly.

"And... what could I have told her?" Lilith asked shrugging.

"That one of my agents might have murdered a suspect in cold blood. Or another might have a serious drug problem which I didn't report, and if Strauss had any evidence, my career would be over. I think she put you on our team and expected something in return. And to your credit, you quit. Rather than whisper in her ear. Even if it meant hurting your best friend who you love and making him think that you left because of him kissing you" Hotch said firmly revealing that he knew that Reid kissed her. Lilith's lip trembled slightly at being told that Reid thinks she left because of him kissing her. She knew that's what he thought but hearing it out loud hurt her a lot more than she thought possible.

"I told you. I hate politics" Lilith said trying to keep her voice strong.

"Come to Milwaukee. I'll make you a deal. If your ready bag isn't here, packed, I won't bug you anymore. If it is, I want you on that plane with me. One more case" Hotch said grinning because he knew that she would have a bag ready.

"I already turned in my badge and my gun" Lilith explained.

"That's just hardware" Hotch said grinning.

….

"I have triple patrol in the area and I've got every available unit re-canvassing" Vic said as the team stood in front of the map, stuck.

"It's tough knowing they're out there and we're still a step behind" Morgan said annoyed.

"You know, it used to be a running joke that if you told people you were from Milwaukee, all they wanted to talk about was happy days reruns. And then Dahmer happens and they ask you about it as if it's the same thing. As if it's entertainment. But I was in that apartment" Vic explained sadly.

"Gideon, one of our bosses, says that there are things that attach to you that... you can never wash off" Reid quoted.

"All right- is it possible we're looking at this the wrong way?" JJ asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Strauss asked.

"Well, we're trying to zero in on the unsub. Now, you guys tell me, but... if he really is using his son, wouldn't the trauma manifest more clearly on the boy?" JJ asked making the team look at each other in shock.

"Can your analyst get a list of all the children in the area that we're targeting?" Strauss asked.

"Garcia can get you whatever you want" Morgan said before Strauss called Garcia.

"Talk dirty to me" Garcia said thinking it was Morgan. Morgan groaned awkwardly while JJ grinned amused.

"This is section chief Erin Strauss" Strauss said making Garcia pale dramatically.

"Ma'am, I think it goes without saying that I was expecting it to be someone else" Garcia said

"I need a list of every grade school in the third ward and Wauwatosa" Strauss ordered.

"Yes, ma'am. The third ward has one public grade school, but there appears to be 4 private schools that draw from that area" Garcia explained.

"And Wauwatosa?" Strauss asked.

"That would be 9, ma'am" Garcia explained.

"And how many students?" Strauss asked.

"3200" Garcia replied.

"Can you also get me a list of every guidance counsellor that deals directly with the student body in that area?" Strauss asked.

"Certainly, ma'am. And again, I'd like to a..." Garcia started to say before getting hung up.

"You need to present these counsellors with a profile of a troubled kid" Strauss said before leaving the team. JJ and Reid got into the car and started to drive.

"Are you okay?" JJ asked making Reid look at her confused.

"I mean, Gideon disappearing and Lilith leaving the team after…" JJ started to say but trailed off after seeing Reid's face.

"I thought I was doing the right thing by showing her how I really felt about her but instead I just made things worse. I've lost my best friend and made my best friend leave her dream job and the man I usually talk to about these things has disappeared. So no, I'm not okay" Reid said emotionally before composing himself as they arrived at the first school.

"The boy we're looking for is possibly from a single-parent home. He's sullen and withdrawn. He may have been caught stealing things from his female teachers. He's more than likely clinging to maternal figures in inappropriate settings- hugging the female bus driver, the woman in the lunchroom. His classmates might notice this inappropriate behaviour and tease him, which makes the boy incredibly angry" Reid explained to the counsellor and thus they got given a pile of files.

"That many" JJ said sadly.

"I'm afraid so" The counsellor replied.

"Well, thank you" JJ said before they left the school and continued onto the other ones.

…..


	9. Chapter 9

"All right, the boy doesn't look like he could be any older than 7. Let's work youngest to oldest. Start with the worst behaviour. Get the names of the parents, send them over to Garcia. She can cross-check for criminal records. This guy's dumping bodies between 7:30 and 8:00. That gives us... a little over 12 hours to make something hit. Let's get it done" Morgan said to the team in the conference room before Reid looked up shocked.

"Look who's here" Reid said shocked seeing Lilith and Hotch walk into the local station.

"Hey. Where do we start?" Lilith said smiling, walking over and sitting next to Reid, surprising him. Hotch walked over and stood next to a startled Morgan and shook his hand.

"How fast can you get us up to speed?" Lilith asked JJ.

"How fast can you sit down?" JJJ joked, glad they were here but worried about Reid's feelings. She gave Lilith and Hotch a copy of the file just as Strauss walked in and the room froze.

"We're only here to help" Lilith said as Strauss looked at Lilith and Hotch.

"We'll deal with this later" Strauss said sitting down and joining the search. They went through the files for the next few hours.

"It's impossible. There's too many" Reid said annoyed.

"Keep looking, Reid. We still have an hour" Morgan said as Reid kept sneaking glances at Lilith, as if reminding himself she was actually here. Lilith caught him a few times before reaching under the table and grabbing his hand, rubbing her thumb over the top of his hand silently telling him she doesn't regret the kiss and they will talk later.

"Thank you, by the way, for giving Garcia that file to give to me" Hotch muttered to JJ at the other end of the table.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't see Garcia before I left" JJ explained making Hotch realized what Garcia's plan was. Vic walked into the room looking sad and annoyed.

"Another victim?" Lilith asked and Vic nodded making the team get in their cars and drive to the newest crime scene. Another alleyway. They walked down it and Strauss went to look at the body but slipping. Hotch caught her.

"Are you all right?" Hotch asked.

"I st-I stepped on her hair" Strauss stuttered disgusted.

"If you need a second, take a second. This is what it is. Just don't let the public see you break down" Hotch said softly before Vic led Strauss away from the body to get some fresh air.

"This is a different area from the other dump sites, isn't it?" Lilith asked looking around.

"He's getting smart. He knows where all of our manpower will be so he's changing locations" Reid added from beside Lilith.

"How long before he changes when and where he abducts them?" Morgan asked kneeling down next to the body.

"He does that, we're back at zero" Lilith scoffed annoyed.

"Claire?" The husband called out walking towards the crime scene.

"No, no, no, no. We gotta keep him out of here" Morgan said rushing towards the husband with JJ and Lilith.

"Morgan says you're worried about Gideon" Hotch stated.

"I keep on calling him… he doesn't call back" Reid confessed but not actually saying he wanted to talk about Lilith even though Hotch knew what he was talking about.

"He's probably at his cabin. That's where he goes when he... needs to get away. Reid, I need your head in this" Hotch said professionally, not just talking about Gideon but Lilith as well.

"I know" Reid said softly looking over at Lilith.

…

"So what's around the dump site?" Hotch asked Vic back at the police station as the team sat back in the conference room.

"Here's the old printing press of quad graphics, and the paving yard, and then the concrete factory where we found the body. None of them visible from the highway" Vic explained as he drew on the map to explain his information.

"You don't end up there by accident" Lilith stated sitting on the table, her feet on the chair next to Reid.

"So we go back to the schools, we eliminate the third ward, and we target problem kids whose fathers have held blue-collar jobs over the last 10 years" Hotch stated making Reid hesitate before speaking up.

"What if he's not a problem kid?" Reid asked making the team look at him confused.

"What?" Morgan asked.

"Forget it. It's off the textbook profile" Reid said rubbing her head sighing.

"What is it, Reid?" Hotch asked urging him to speak up.

"Sometimes when a parent is unstable, especially if the other one's out of the picture, you'll do anything to be the perfect child" Reid explained because that's what happened to him with his mother.

"I know that's what happened to you when your Dad left but… helping your father abduct women? I don't know, Reid… I never was… I've never heard of anything like that" Lilith said almost saying that she never was like that when she was with her parents but caught herself because Vic was in the room.

"I know…" Reid said softly just to Lilith before turning to the team.

"But think about it. They're never late for school. Even with the abductions, the disposal of the bodies, it's always timed perfectly so the kid will be on time to school. I don't think the killer would care. I think the kid would" Reid explained and Hotch looked at Lilith. She thought about the fact that even though she was the one that tipped off the FBI about her parent's whereabouts she still did everything they asked… buried everyone they wanted her too. It was plausible. Lilith nodded to Hotch and he pulled out his phone and called Garcia.

"FBI. Technical analyst Penelope Garcia speaking" Garcia said professionally as Hotch left the conference room.

"Garcia, I need a list of parents from the Wauwatosa school district, eliminating any two-parent households or any fathers holding white collar jobs that aren't labour management" Hotch explained.

"You'll see it flying over the transom momentarily" Garcia said simply.

"And one more thing- the glitches in the transfers and resignations stop now" Hotch said firmly.

"Uh- yes, sir" Garcia said sighing.

"And, Garcia... Thank you" Hotch said genuinely making Garcia smile before hanging up. JJ and Reid left to go back to the school.

….

"He's a kid that's a model student" JJ said to the principle.

"Not just straight As, though. It's someone who tries to please in a way that the other teachers have probably talked about. Inventing extra-credit projects, volunteering to skip recess to help clean the classroom, stuff like that" Reid added thinking about his own childhood.

"David smith" The Principle said.

"Do you know his father?" Reid asked.

"Oh, it's such a sad story. The teachers all talk about it. He was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour 6 months ago, and his wife left the two of them" The Principle explained.

"She just left?" JJ asked softly.

"Yeah. I don't know what's gonna happen to David. I can't imagine David's father being someone you're looking for. He's very involved. He drops David off and picks him up every day" The Principle explained as they left her office and walked through the hallways.

"Do you happen to know what kind of car he drives?" Reid asked.

"A van, maybe? I can't say. Something big. He makes hand-crafted furniture. I know he does deliveries" The Principle explained as they walked into the classroom.

"Miss Bennett" She called out.

"We're looking for David smith" Reid said to the teacher.

"You just missed him" Miss. Bennett explained.

"Do you know where he went?" JJ asked confused.

"He wasn't feeling well, so the nurse volunteered to drive him home to help out David's father" Miss. Bennett explained.

"Thank you" JJ said leaving quickly with Reid.

…..


	10. Chapter 10

"The boy's alone in the family room" Hotch said as he and Morgan walked back to Strauss and Lilith out the front of David Smith's house.

"Where are your other agents?" Strauss asked referring to Reid and JJ.

"Covering the other side. They have an eye-line just in case somebody tries to sneak out the back" Morgan explained.

"Is there any sign of the nurse or the dad?" Lilith asked.

"No" Morgan said softly.

"So what are we doing here?" Vic asked.

"We call in S.W.A.T., Secure the perimeter, and wait for him to come out" Strauss ordered.

"Ma'am, he's holding a woman inside" Morgan argued.

"We don't know that for certain. We don't have probable cause" Strauss argued.

"She's right" Hotch admitted.

"If he's got her, he waits 48 hours. He's not gonna kill her yet" Strauss stated.

"He's changed the pattern of the dump sites, and now he's changed how he abducts them. Do we really want to gamble that he's sticking to the rest of the model?" Morgan asked heatedly.

"So let's pound on the door. Maybe he'll panic" Vic suggested frustrated.

"But he could spook just enough to kill her early" Hotch explained.

"Let me go in alone. The boy's in the family room. He'll answer the door" Lilith said making Hotch look at her.

"No" Strauss said firmly.

"We need to get invited in that door. He's looking for female authority figures. If he lets me in, I can signal as soon as I see anything that gives us cause" Lilith argued.

"Technically, you're not even in the FBI" Strauss stated.

"All the better" Hotch said agreeing with Lilith.

"She's interfering with a federal investigation" Strauss argued annoyed making Lilith crack her neck slightly.

"Well, if I'm no longer in the FBI, then you have no authority over me. I'm just a civilian knocking on a little boy's door" Lilith said simply knowing Strauss couldn't do a damn thing to stop her.

"Fallon" Morgan said handing her his gun from his ankle.

"Thank you" Lilith said taking the gun and tucking it into the back of her pants.

"As soon as you have probable cause, give us a signal and get out of there" Hotch said giving her a radio to press that will buzz them when she needs them.

"Everybody knows what we need to make this arrest legal" Hotch said to Strauss as they watched Lilith walk towards the front door. She knocked on the door lightly before it opened to reveal a little blonde haired boy.

"Hi. Are you David? I'm Lilith, your dad asked me to come by" Lilith said bending down to David's height.

"He's busy" David said simply.

"Would it be ok if I came in and waited?" Lilith asked softly.

"I guess" David said shrugging and left Lilith into the house.

"Thank you" Lilith said as she walked in and David closed the door behind them before locking it.

"My dad says it's unsafe to leave your door unlocked" David explained to Lilith.

"Smart man" Lilith said dryly while Morgan moved around to the back of the house to where Reid and JJ were waiting.

"Fallon is in. We're waiting on her go" Morgan said tossing them a bullet proof vest each.

"What?" Reid asked worried but JJ placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"So... Where is your dad?" Lilith asked looking around the house alert.

"He's working in there" David said with a sigh and pointed to a door down the hallway.

"Is he alone?" Lilith asked but David didn't reply.

"Would it be ok if I just let him know I was waiting?" Lilith asked eyeing the door.

"He doesn't like me to go down there when he's working" David explained.

"Oh, no, you don't have to. Um, I just gonna go and see if he's too busy. And we can both be really quiet, ok? Can you be quiet?" Lilith asked softly and David nodded as Lilith walked into the room and pulled out Morgan's gun. She saw the nurse tied up by her arms before spinning around to get hit in the head with a piece of wood making her drop the gun.

"Who is this? Where did she come from?" Mr. Smith demanded as he picked up the gun and pointed it at Lilith as David walked into the room.

"She said she was a friend of yours" David explained as Lilith looked around trying to clear her blurred vision and grab the radio that Hotch gave her.

"Take this. Take it! It's ok. Just... Point it right here" Mr. Smith said giving David the gun and making him point it at Lilith before grabbing Lilith's arms. Lilith struggled slightly but was still dazed from the blow to the head. She managed to grab the radio and signal Hotch and the team. They broke down the door and came into the room quickly.

"Drop the weapon, son. Give me the gun" Hotch said pointing his weapon at David, who was scared and pointing his weapon at Hotch.

"Fallon" Morgan said grabbing Lilith and pulling her away from Mr. Smith.

"Do what they say" Mr. Smith said to David and he lowered the gun before giving it to Hotch. Hotch picked up the boy while Morgan and Vic cuffed Mr. Smith and JJ helped the nurse down.

"Are you ok?" Reid asked helping Lilith stand up.

"Ah, I'll be fine" Lilith said reassuringly to Reid, grabbing his hand tightly with a smile.

"I'm calling an ambulance" Reid said he helped her leave the house.

"You're dying, and this is what you want to leave your son?" Vic spat at Mr. Smith as they looked over at hearts from his victims. Once the ambulance had arrived Reid sat next to Lilith while they patched her up and gave her some stitches.

"How's your head?" Hotch asked walking over to them.

"I'll live. Is it weird I'm glad to be back?" Lilith joked.

"I'll make sure it stays official" Hotch said simply before leaving Reid and Lilith with the medic.

"How's she doing?" Strauss asked walking over to Hotch.

"She's gonna be ok" Hotch said.

"You know, I can't officially approve of how this transpired, right?" Strauss asked.

"No. The arrest was clean. It would be a mistake to break up this team" Hotch said firmly and Strauss sighed agreeing with him.

"None of you will ever move up the chain of command. You know that" Strauss explained.

"Why would I ever want to leave the B.A.U?" Hotch asked before walking off.

"Hotch. You mean that? You're not gonna leave us?" Morgan asked.

"I don't know. I gotta talk to Haley" Hotch said walking off.

….

Lilith had just gotten in the door and dropped her bags when Hotch called her.

"Not another case?" Lilith joked.

"Haley's gone" Hotch said numbly making Lilith open her mouth to say something but had nothing to say.

"Do you… do you want me to come over?" Lilith asked worried as she sat down on her lounge.

"No… just… I don't know what to do" Hotch stuttered softly when there was a knock at Lilith's door. She walked over and opened it to reveal a teary Reid and a letter in his hand.

"Reid?" Lilith asked worried.

"Gideon's gone" Reid whispered sadly as Lilith look at her phone.

"Aaron…" Lilith started to say but was cut off.

"It's okay, Help Reid and we can talk tomorrow. I got to find out what's going on with Gideon" Hotch said before hanging up. Lilith put down the phone and walked a shocked Reid to the lounge.

"He's just… gone. I drove to his cabin and he left me this note and that… that was it" Reid explained in shock and Lilith wrapped her arm around Reid's shoulders and pulled him into her so that his head was resting on her shoulder as she read the letter out loud.

"I knew it would be you who would came to the cabin to check on me. You must be frightened; I apologize for that. I never meant to cause you any pain. And I also never envisioned writing this letter. I've searched for a satisfactory explanation for what I'm doing. All I've come up with is: A profiler needs to have solid footing, and I don't think I do anymore. The world confuses me. The cruelty, indifference... the tragedy. When my dear friend Sarah was murdered, it tore a hole in me. and I truly believed the way to handle the pain was to get back to my work as quickly as possible. Get on to helping somebody else. I thought I could handle Sarah's murder, work through it. But the very first case we had after, was out on a college campus. You see, I met Sarah at College, on a campus just like that one thirty-one years ago. Campuses are supposed to be places of life and excitement. They're supposed to be about the future, figuring out who you are, who you're gonna be. They're supposed to be about dreams, not nightmares...about hope. I really don't understand the world anymore. All homicide scenes are tragic. But when the victim is someone young, their life ripped away before they've even had a chance to live...it's devastating. In this line of work I was afraid that I would lose the ability to trust, but I've realized that I can't look at anyone without seeing their death. And as bad as losing faith in humanity seems, losing your faith in happy endings is much worse. How many victims have we seen? How many crime scenes? Hundreds? Thousands? Pictures of families, victims - both alive and dead… I was always able to stay objective, to stay at arm's length, but now, all I see is Sarah. Nathan Tubbs was easy, but there was a time in my career when I would have asked the question I should have asked: Was it too easy? The biggest trap for a profiler to fall into is pride: forgetting that for all your skills, profiling is just a tool. It was like you could physically feel the mood change on the campus. Kids...they're so resilient. They trust and believe in a way I can't reach any more, like a very old picture. You remember the circumstances, but the feelings, the emotions, they're just out of your grasp. They believed in us. They believed in me...the way Sarah believed in with me. And, as with Sarah I believed that I led them right to the slaughter. What was I even doing there? how many times have I told you that a profiler cannot do the job if the mind is unfocused? That if anything was going on in your personal life it would cloud your judgement. My mind has never been more unfocused than it was on that campus. Did I let a lion loose amongst babies? Was my judgement clouded by a need to make someone pay for Sarah's death? Two more dead. Was it a price that needed to paid? Is death ever worth it? Was the world always this grey? Is it only in the movies that it's black and white? Is that just an illusion? I used to know. I used to understand my place, my direction, where I was headed... Profiling requires belief: Belief in the profile, Belief in yourself. After Sarah, I no longer trust myself at home. After Tubbs, I no longer trust myself in the field. And without that, I have nothing. And that was the last domino: the death of that girl, Hotch being suspended over something that was my fault. I said at the beginning of this letter that I knew that it would be you to come up here. I'm so sorry the explanation couldn't be better, and I'm so sorry it doesn't make more sense. but I've already told you...I just don't understand any of it any more. I'm sorry" Lilith read as tears fell down her cheeks and she could feel Reid sobbing quietly into her neck.

"It's okay… it's going to be okay" Lilith whispered kissing Reid's forehead, feeling helpless.

"Why did you leave?" Reid asked after a few moments of silence. Lilith bit her lip and sighed, knowing she had to tell him the truth.

"Strauss tried to use me. She wanted me to feed her information on Hotch so she could fire him. She threatened to fire me because of my past. But I still refused to do it so I left" Lilith explained as Reid looked up at her.

"It had nothing to do with me?" Reid asked confused and Lilith placed a hand on Reid's cheek lovingly.

"No" Lilith said simply before kissing Reid softly. Reid deepened the kiss and pulled Lilith close to him as if he was scared she would leave again.

….


	11. Chapter 11

**Scared to Death**

Lilith woke up to her alarm going off. She reached over and shut it down before looking at Reid's sleeping body next to her. She smiled sadly at his red eyes from crying all night and stroked his cheek lovingly.

"Reid…" She whispered and shook him awake. He looked around confused for a moment before smiling up at Lilith and kissed the top of her hand softly.

"We need to get ready for work" Lilith explained as they both reluctantly entangled themselves from each other and drove to work. Reid went and sat at his desk, re-reading the letter repeatedly while Morgan and Lilith sat in silence as well.

"He left everything, except the photographs" Garcia explained as she walked out of Gideon's office with a box.

"He always said those were like his family" Reid muttered making Lilith place a hand on his shoulder in comfort while sharing a worried look with Morgan.

"What should we do with all of this?" Garcia asked walking downstairs. Lilith watched as Strauss walked past them without a glance and knocked on Hotch's door.

"Come in" Hotch said putting down the photo he was holding that his son drew him.

"How is everyone?" Strauss asked.

"We're adapting" Hotch said simply.

"His resignation is official. Jason Gideon is no longer an agent in the bureau" Strauss said formally.

"Is he going to guest lecture?" Hotch asked.

"No. He's gone. His years of service are appreciated. We're looking for his replacement" Strauss explained handing Hotch a pile of folders.

"That was fast" Hotch commented.

"Well, the bureau doesn't like to leave posts empty for long. I'd like your input" Strauss admitted.

"I appreciate that" Hotch said thankfully before JJ walked into the office.

"Sir, we're gathering" JJ informed him sparing Strauss a quick look.

"Is everything ok?" JJ asked Hotch as they walked into the conference room where the rest of the team were waiting.

"Ok, we have 4 victims in Oregon. 2 male, 2 female" JJ said handing Reid and then Lilith a folder.

"I got this" Hotch said suddenly interrupting JJ.

"Uh, sure" JJ said unsure before handing Morgan a folder as well.

"I know that we've all been wondering what this was all about. And, uh... you know I've known Jason for many years, and I can tell you I have no idea. But it doesn't even matter. What matters is we're here, and we're gonna continue. Portland field office uncovered a mass grave with 3 bodies, killed 6 months ago, nearby they found another body. Causes of death range from burning alive to asphyxiation" Hotch explained as he flipped through the photos.

"No sexual assault" Lilith read from the file.

"Well, the torture's clearly sadistic" Morgan stated.

"The lack of sexual preferences could make it hard to tell if the unsub is male or female" Reid added.

"Typically, female serial killers stick to the same M.O. It looks like this guy's all over the place" Lilith commented.

"Most recent victim is Jenny Wittman. Asphyxiated. Discovered yesterday" Hotch explained.

"How long was she missing?" Reid asked.

"She was never reported missing" Hotch stated surprising and confusing the team.

"What about the others?" Reid asked.

"Only one" Hotch explained.

"One of 4?" Reid asked confused by the statistics.

"Rick Holland was reported missing 9 months ago, but the search was called off" JJ explained.

"Family discovered his car at the train station. But more importantly, they received e-mails from him saying that he needed time to figure things out" Hotch added.

"And his family bought that?" Morgan asked shocked.

"Well, I guess the alternative was too hard to accept" Hotch stated.

"Reaching out could be a sign of remorse" Reid theorized.

"Psychopaths don't apologize for their behaviour. This guy's covering his tracks" Lilith explained.

"Well, it's working" Morgan commented.

"So... 3 victims he buried in one grave and then only Jenny Wittman in the other" Lilith said walking over to the board and pointing at the crime scene photos.

"You thinking it's a pattern?" Morgan asked.

"Uh, it's hard to tell" Lilith admitted.

"If there is, it's one down... 2 to go" Hotch added as they left the conference room.

…..

"Aaron, how are you?" Lilith asked walking over to Hotch before the team arrived at the jet. Hotch smiled weakly at Lilith.

"I miss them" Hotch admitted and Lilith nodded.

"Reid and I can come over for dinner when we get back if you like?" Lilith offered and Hotch nodded.

"That would be great. So you and Reid are okay?" Hotch asked and Lilith smiled and nodded.

"Good" Hotch said honestly before the rest of the team arrived on the jet.

"Can we go over what Portland found?" Hotch asked the team as the jet took off and Reid went to get a cup of coffee.

"One female and 2 male victims found buried together in the same grave. All 25 to 30. All had been dead... 6 months?" JJ explained as she handed folders to each of the team members and Reid handed a cup of coffee to Lilith smiling shyly at her. Lilith touched his hand gently in thanks as he sat down across the table from Hotch.

"That sounds like 3 different M.O.S" Lilith commented.

"Uh, Gary Taylor; the phantom sniper, was all over the map, just like this guy. He changed his M.O. As his need to control the situation changed" Reid stated.

"What about the fresh grave?" Hotch asked.

"Uh, female, 28, dead roughly 48 hours. She was asphyxiated" JJ explained.

"It's a good thing this guy's dump site has been compromised" Morgan said

"As soon as the unsub knows that, he may feel pressured that we're onto him. It could push him to make a mistake" Lilith added.

"Hey. You" Garcia said softly making Reid look around confused.

"Uh, down here" Garcia laughed.

"I knew that" Reid commented as he turned the laptop with Garcia's face on it around to face the team.

"Good thing you're handsome, doctor. Attention team members- this killer guy continues to stoop to an all-time low of lows by posing as his victims. He's also manipulated 2 of the families into thinking that everything was ok, even after they were reported missing. One of the fake e-mails was from their daughter. She said she met this guy and was taking him to her favorite place, Australia, for a couple of weeks. Family contacted the Australian authorities after too much time had passed" Garcia explained.

"This guy sure knows a lot of personal information about his victims" Morgan said.

"How did he get access to their e-mail accounts?" Lilith asked curiously.

"Screen name was the same, but the domain was different. The families never noticed. When I find more pieces of the puzzle, you'll know. Garcia out" Garcia said before disappearing off the screen.

"This guy's creative. Let's go over the details one more time just to make sure we haven't missing anything" Hotch said as they grabbed the files to go over them again before the jet landed and they drove to the local station.

"You must be the B.A.U. Special Agent Bill Calvert" Bill introduced once the team had arrived at Portland, Oregon.

"Hi. Jennifer Jareau. This is SSA Aaron Hotchner. These are agents Morgan, Fallon, and Dr. Reid" JJ introduced.

"I appreciate your help on this case" Bill said honestly.

"So, you're from Boston, huh?" Morgan said noticing his accent.

"The accent's kind of hard to miss in Oregon, right?" Bill joked.

"We'd like to look around Jenny Wittman's apartment" Hotch said.

"I'd take you myself, but I'm waiting to meet a family, so I'll have another

Agent drive you out there" Bill said.

"Thank you" Hotch said.

"I'll stay behind and work victimology" Lilith stated.

"Great. I could use some extra hands. We'll call you if we find anything" Hotch said leaving with Morgan and Reid.

"So, we'll just set up here?" JJ asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, this is fine. Right here" Bill said.

…..


	12. Chapter 12

"Wittman's place is on the fourth floor" Reid said as they walked over to the elevator. Reid and Morgan got in but there wasn't much room for Hotch.

"I'll... meet you guys up there" Hotch said walking off to take the stairs. Morgan pressed the button but nothing happened and the elevator made a weird noise.

"Don't do that" Reid said scared.

"Why isn't it moving?" Morgan asked.

"I don't know" Reid muttered as Morgan started pressing all the buttons.

"Don't—stop it! Don't..." Reid said.

"What? What's the problem?" Morgan asked.

"Don't do that!" Reid snapped.

"Why not?" Morgan asked confused.

"Because there are 6 elevator related deaths per year, not to mention 10,000 injuries that require hospitalization. Chill out" Reid said firmly.

"That sounds like pretty good odds to me. Are you scared, Reid? I don't want to be in an elevator with you, to be honest" Reid snapped as Morgan kept pushing the buttons.

"How about I push that? What if I push that?" Morgan teased before the elevator shook suddenly.

"Whoa. Ok" Morgan said holding onto the walls scared.

"Hit the—hit the- yeah. Push it!" Reid said as they pushed the button for the emergency alarm.

"Push, pull, push, pull. I'm doing it. Nothing's happening" Morgan said scared.

"Pry-pry—pry the door open. Just—yeah" Reid ordered.

"It's stuck, man" Morgan yelled.

"No, no, no, no. Not today" Morgan begged as they elevator kept moving.

"Hotch?" Reid squeaked out scared while all he could think of was Lilith.

"Hotch!" Morgan shouted as Hotch walked over to the elevator as the doors opened. Morgan ran out of there quickly.

"Was that the alarm? You guys ok?" Hotch asked.

"I'll get back to you on that" Reid said walking out of the elevator breathing heavily as Hotch walked off with a small smile on his face.

"FBI was already here 2 days ago. Didn't find anything" The landlord said as he let them into the apartment.

"We're from the Behavioural Analysis Unit" Reid stated.

"What's that mean?" Landlord asked confused.

"It means that we study human behaviour.

We don't just look at evidence. It helps us to determine why this killer chose this victim. The place has a lived-in feel to it" Reid commented.

"It looks like she spent most of her free time here" Hotch stated

"No messages on the answering machine" Reid added.

"Hey, guys. Come take a look at this. There's bath products all around the tub, but she never turned the shower on" Morgan explained as they walked into the bathroom.

"What makes you say that?" The Landlord asked curiously.

"It's got nothing but boxes inside. She used it for storage" Morgan said opening the shower door to reveal boxed.

"Uh, did anything ever strike you as odd about Jenny?" Reid asked

"You know what? When she moved in here 2 months ago, she walked up and down those stairs a hundred times. She wouldn't use the elevator" The Landlord explained.

"I don't blame her" Morgan commented.

"Ok, so we know Jenny didn't like tight spaces or the elevator. What else do we know?" Morgan asked.

"We know that he preys on people that are new to the city with no strong social ties" Reid stated.

"And Jenny fits the model. She's an easy target" Morgan added.

"And he's betting that she won't be missed" Hotch finished.

….

"We have been over the details of this case so many times, I could recite it in my sleep" Lilith said to JJ as she paced in front of the board back at the local station.

"Nothing like being prepared" JJ commented dryly.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I just spoke to Jenny Wittman's family" Bill said walking into the room.

"Did they give you any insights?" Lilith asked hopefully.

"Well, they weren't what you'd call close-knit. It was like she wanted a fresh start. Struck out on her own" Bill explained.

"Yeah, Garcia couldn't come up with any connection between the victims. Different socioeconomic backgrounds, levels of education, and areas of work" Lilith explained.

"But they all had relocated to Portland without any family or friends- one divorced, the rest single" JJ added.

"They did have that in common. New to the city, and they all lived alone" Lilith finished.

"That'd describe me to a T. I transferred to this field office a month ago. I'm 30, single, and don't have much of a social life since I work so much" Bill explained making Lilith chuckle slightly.

"Well, I need to go over whatever evidence you found at the other victims' homes, and then I would love to pick your brain about how you got settled into the city" JJ explained.

"Absolutely. So this guy... he burns 'em, hangs 'em, smothers 'em. Why does he kill so many different ways?" Bill asked looking at the crime scene photos.

"That's exactly what we're trying to find out" Lilith said softly before continuing her research while JJ and Bill went and talked.

"So what was the first thing you did when you moved here?" JJ asked

"I found the best coffee in town, then moved within walking distance" Bill joked seriously as JJ wrote on the whiteboard.

"Ok, so you got established got comfortable in your surroundings..." JJ said.

"Joined a gym" Bill added.

"All right. Ok. So where else is there…" JJ said trailing off.

"Doctor, dentist, dry cleaner. You think he goes to these places to find his victims?" Bill asked.

"Maybe" JJ said unsure.

"There's something around every corner" Bill muttered.

"Well, we only have to canvass 4 neighbourhoods" JJ said trying to remain upbeat before the rest of the team got back to the station.

"Lilith, follow me for a second" Reid asked Lilith once he got back and they walked into a private room.

"What's wrong?" Lilith asked worried as Reid pulled her in for a hug quickly before separating to keep a professional look about them.

"Morgan and I got stuck in an elevator and I honestly thought I was going to die. All I could think about was you so I just… I just needed a hug" Reid admitted slightly embarrassed. Lilith smiled fondly and grabbed his hand giving it a quick squeeze before Hotch opened the door and she dropped his hand. Not out of shame or fear of being found out but because they were at work and needed to keep a professional look about them.

"It's time to give the profile" Hotch said giving Lilith and Reid a knowing look.

"Ok, we know this guy used wildwood trail as his personal graveyard for 6 months. That site's been blown for him now, which means that he's been forced to change part of his M.O" Morgan said as the team stood in front of the local agents.

"Which won't be easy for somebody who thrives on being in control. The reason that he's gotten away with these first 3 murders is that he's been meticulous at every stage, from how he chooses his victims to their torture and their burial" Hotch explained.

"To us, his victims appear to be nonspecific. Other than being new to Portland, all they seem to have shared was a torturous death" Lilith stated.

"But you think the unsub chooses them for another reason, too?" Bill asked as he took notes.

"We think so" Lilith said nodding.

"The tortures lack a sexual component, which is incredibly rare. I think it's more about, uh, not necessarily about exerting power, but more like overcompensating for a lack of it" Reid added.

"This guy craves control. He's coming from a place of weakness, trying to demonstrate strength. Now we see this a lot in unsubs who've have been abused" Morgan continued.

"The lack of sexual assault could be as simple as the fact that he's impotent, something that he's trying to hide" Hotch said.

"A man this obsessed with control most likely feels powerless in his everyday life. So, he would crave stability, security. He's most likely married. If he is impotent, he could keep up appearances by adopting children" Lilith explained.

"Yeah, and someone this methodical has every moment planned. If he is captured, he'd most likely take his own life rather than give up any sort of control" Reid added.

"The victims' lack of defensive wounds suggest that they willingly put themselves in danger. So someone of authority or otherwise easily trusted put them up to this" Morgan explained.

"Also, the victims' families were led to believe their loved ones were alive and well through e-mails written by this murderer" Lilith added.

"He's calculating, and he's intelligent, and... we're going to have to do something that he's not expecting" Hotch explained.

"Like what?" Bill asked.

"Like warn his potential victims" Hotch stated simply before JJ walked back into the room silently telling Hotch that the press release had been set up. The team watched as JJ expertly stood on the stage and spoke.

"We found the remains of 4 victims in wildwood trail. 2 women, 2 men, all in their 20s, all transplants to Portland. Because the victims have this in common, we are confident that the person We're looking for latches on to people new to the city. He chooses them because they make for easier targets. If you are young and new to Portland, or if you know someone that is, please call the number on your screen for more detailed information about how to stay out of a dangerous situation" JJ said before the team left her to continue her press conference and they started to get calls from the hotline.

"Ma'am, you're saying your tenant Patrick Walker, 28, moved to Portland for grad school, and he's been missing for how long?" Lilith asked on the hotline.

"Since this morning. I know that that sounds crazy, but Patrick sticks to a routine. I tease him that he's more predictable than I am. Jogs while I'm watching the morning shows, walks to class with his backpack after that. He-he's always home for lunch. That's when he walks Lucy" The landlady said worried.

"You're in his apartment right now. Does anything look out of the ordinary? Is his backpack there still?" Lilith asked trying to help the lady out.

"Yes" The landlady said quickly.

"Ok. Then we know he's not at class" Lilith said writing the name down.

"Why would he just leave like this?" The Landlady cried.

"I don't know" Lilith said softly but she was worried he was the next victim.

….


	13. Chapter 13

"Local police I.D. the body. It's Patrick Walker. He's got deep abrasions and bruising on the neck and shoulders" Bill explained to Lilith and Morgan the next day at the newest crime scene.

"I'm going to go see if they found anything else in the water" Morgan said ducking underneath the police tap and heading to the river.

"Ok. I know his landlady called you about this guy missing, but what makes you think this is related?" Bill asked curiously.

"He fits the profile of our victims. He's the same age, lives alone, new to the city" Lilith explained.

"But he wasn't buried like everybody else" Bill stated.

"No, you found the unsub's dump site. He couldn't go back to the trail. It forced him to do something different" Lilith explained as Morgan walked back up the embankment.

"Well, they found a rope at the bottom of the river, but that's probably been there for years. A couple feet out, they found this. It's shepherd's crook. Lifeguards and rescue workers use it" Morgan explained holding it up.

"Oh, I bet he didn't use it for safety" Lilith said sarcastically.

"Officer, thank you" Morgan said handing it to a local officer.

"We haven't seen any evidence of a struggle with the other bodies. This is the first one" Bill said confused.

"Do you remember any open cases involving suspicious drownings?" Lilith asked.

"Since I've been in Portland, we've had 2 or 3. I can call the office, get the files to your other agents. Maybe they can make a connection" Bill said walking off.

"Hotchner" Morgan said calling Hotch and putting it on loud speaker.

"Hey, that landlady Fallon spoke to was right to be worried. We just found Patrick Walker dead in a river" Morgan said

"And it was exactly what you predicted. He found a new place to dump the body" Lilith added.

"Fire, hanging, asphyxiation. Now we've got a drowning" Hotch said looking at the work board.

"I think it's someone who's afraid of drowning" Reid said suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Hotch asked.

"Just something Lilith told me once…" Reid muttered and Lilith looked at the phone confused for a moment.

"Scott Reilly" Reid said softly and Lilith stiffened dramatically.

"Fallon?" Morgan asked worried.

"Scott had a fear of clowns… so when my… so when Justin and Rosemary would rape him they would dress up as clowns" Lilith spoke softly blinking away tears.

"I'm sorry Lilith…" Reid whispered as if it was just them to in the room together rather than them speaking over the phone in front of the team.

"If you look at the M.O.S of the victims, what do they all have in common? They could all be classified as anxiety disorders. It's right out of the diagnostics and statistical manual. It lists 5 subtypes of phobias" Reid explained eager to change the subject to help Lilith.

"Most of these are environmental and situational" Hotch stated.

"Exactly" Reid said.

"So it's all about fear. These people are being killed by their fears" Hotch said looking at the board in deep thought.

….

"I'm sorry I had to bring up Scott… I just didn't know how else to explain my theory" Reid apologized for the hundredth time to Lilith as they got out of the car near Patrick Walker's house.

"It's okay. I understand, it just caught me off guard. I haven't spoken about that in a while" Lilith admitted but smiled so Reid wouldn't be too worried about her.

"So Hotch is even more intense now that Gideon's gone" Lilith said changing the subject.

"Yeah, I've noticed" Reid said chuckling slightly.

"Do you think that's going to change?" Lilith asked curiously.

"I certainly think we'll find out but you know him better than anyone" Reid explained.

"Oh yeah, we are having dinner with him after this case" Lilith said chuckling at Reid's fake scared face.

"What about you? You ok?" Lilith asked softly.

"Oh, I'm great, doing much better than before" Reid lied terribly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Lilith asked.

"What's there to talk about, really?" Reid asked.

"Gideon" Lilith said looking at him knowingly.

"Oh, no. He, uh… he left a letter explaining everything remember? Just like my dad did when he abandoned me and my mom" Reid said sarcastically making Lilith grab his hand and calm him down.

"He addressed it to you" Lilith said.

"Yeah, yeah. You know, Gideon stood toe to toe with some of the sickest people on this planet. I think that took a lot of courage, right?" Reid asked.

"Yeah" Lilith said thinking about her parents.

"So, why'd he do this? It's addressed to me, but I'm…I'm not… I'm not the only one that he abandoned" Reid said confused.

"But why is it addressed to you? I think you need to read that letter again" Lilith said.

"I have an eidetic memory, love" Reid said as he accidentally slipped in his 'pet name' for her.

"Ah, yeah, I know, and an I.Q. Of 187, but what do you remember about your father?" Lilith asked softly.

"What do you mean?" Reid asked confused.

"Well, he gave you 10 years before he left, and yet you've erased all those memories. And-it's too painful. I get it. But then Gideon leaves. I think you need to read that letter again, and ask yourself why, of all the people he walked away from, did he only explain himself to one person. You" Lilith said simply before kissing Reid gently on the lips before they walked into the local laundry mat.

"Morgan said this is the laundromat closest to Patrick Walker's apartment building. So, we have washers and dryers, and... we have a bulletin board" Lilith listed as they walked through the building.

"Snack machine" Reid said walking over to her with a bag of pretzels.

"Yeah, I don't think he's luring them with pretzels" Lilith said sarcastically as she grabbed one out of the bag and ate it laughing at Reid's playful frown.

"Babysitter, buy a car..." Reid read

"Ooh, look at this baby. Participate in a controlled research project and you'll receive 100 bucks to get over your anxieties" Lilith read and pulled the flyer down.

"You only have to attend 2 sessions?" Reid said confused.

"2 hours of your time,100 bucks-easy sell" Lilith said simply.

"Just one stub's taken" Reid pointed out as Morgan walked into the building and over to them.

"Hey, well, Patrick Walker just joined a pretty sweet boxing gym, but that's about it. You guys find anything?" Morgan asked as Lilith handed him the flyer.

"Well, I think we should go over to victim number 2's coffee shop, see if any of these are hanging around" Morgan suggested.

"If all of our victims saw these fliers, we just figured out how he casts his net" Lilith explained.

"Let's do it" Morgan said the three of them left the Laundry Mat and drove to the second victim's coffee local coffee shop.

"These fliers have all been hanging in places where our victims could have seen them" Lilith said as Morgan walked over to her.

"What do you see?" Morgan asked as he saw Lilith frowning slightly and shaking her head.

"Well, look at the date. Friday, August 25" Lilith said pulling down the flyer.

"That was last summer. If he's been luring victims for that long…" Morgan started to say.

"There could be more victims that we missed. We need to go back and check the rest of that trail" Morgan said as they left the coffee shop.

…..


	14. Chapter 14

"How did we miss this before?" Lilith asked as they stood in shock as local workers kept finding more and more bodies.

"Well, the trail's 40 miles long" Morgan explained before Bill walked over to them.

"8 graves,12 bodies" Bill confirmed.

"So, he didn't stick to a pattern. And we have 12 more victims" Lilith muttered as Morgan's phone rang.

"The guy had a busy year" Bill said as Lilith and he walked off.

"Baby girl, there's nothing to know. I hit a couple of buttons. It got stuck. That's it. What do you want?" Morgan asked into the phone.

"And?" Garcia asked greatly amused by the situation.

"Ok, I freaked out, a little bit. Look here, you little busybody, I know you traced that number for me 5 minutes ago, so give it up" Morgan said changing the subject.

"Ah, yes. Changing the subject. It's listed as the Goodman institute" Garcia explained.

"What the hell's that?" Morgan asked confused.

"I've beyond googled this thing. To the untrained eye, it looks totally legit. Someone went to great lengths to make the website decent. The articles are well written. But, as my brilliant and bespectacled eyes can see, they all lead to dead ends" Garcia explained as she typed away on her computer.

"Well, then what is it?" Morgan asked curiously.

"A bogus business that claims to be the leading researcher in behavioural therapy. There's no tax records, no business license, no evidence it actually exists. It's supposed to be run by a guy named dr. Barry Goodman. Says here he's renowned in curing fears and phobias. Get this-he has an online questionnaire. Asks all kinds of things about phobias" Garcia explained.

"So these victims fill it out and he plucks them off the screen. Garcia, get that over to Hotch" Morgan said.

"Way ahead of you,'friady cat" Garcia teased.

"Of course, you are" Morgan said grinning before hanging up and going back to the local station with Lilith and Bill.

"Look at this guys, he calls them phobias instead of anxiety disorders" Reid said to the team as they sat back in the conference room.

"Yeah, this guy's either an amateur or he studied psychology in the eighties" Lilith added looking up at Reid.

"His phrasing of the questions are clinical. This guy's a professional" Morgan said.

"Well, he's able to pick the perfect victims. Are you close to your family? Easy making friends? Just answer yes and you're spared the torture" Hotch added as he read the questionnaire that Garcia had sent them.

"We figured out how he chooses his victims, but how does that get us his real name?" Bill asked the team.

"All right. Let's review. J.J., Can you get Garcia?" Hotch said as JJ called Garcia and put her on loud speaker.

"I think the guy's a real psychiatrist" Morgan stated.

"Also afraid of being alone, so he's most likely married" Lilith said.

"May have adopted children" Reid said walking behind Lilith.

"Why?" Bill asked Reid.

"Well, because the tortures lack a sexual component" Reid explained walking circles around the table.

"Oh, right. He might be impotent" Bill remembered.

"Also, he's desperate for a sense of community. He'd definitely have kids" Reid added finally taking a seat across the table from Lilith.

"Ok, I'm crossing Portland doctors with adoptions" Garcia said as she typed on her computer.

"And given the obsession to control his victims with torture, he might have been abused" Hotch added.

"Ok, Juvenile records are going to be sealed, so you gotta give me a minute" Garcia said sliding along her table to another set of computer screens.

"He uses antiquated terms like phobias, so he's most likely in his 40s" Lilith said helping Garcia with her search.

"And... the creep of the moment award goes to... one 43-year-old Dr. Stanley Howard, psychiatrist" Garcia said as her search came to a stop.

"This guy was killing his own patients?" Bill asked confused.

"No. Stan Howard's smarter than that. That's why he created Goodman and the research ruse" Hotch explained.

"Married to Jane Howard, has one 8-year-old daughter Jessica. He started a center for abused kids" Garcia read from her screen.

"Probably because he could relate" Hotch stated.

"One good deed's not fortifying his karma sufficiently. Looks like his practice shut down last year" Garcia explained.

'Right about the time the killings started?" Hotch asked rhetorically.

"He still has a lease on his old office building. City permits were pulled due to renovation, but what do you know? They've been delayed. Yikes! His bank records show a seriously depleted savings account" Garcia explained.

"So he's keeping up appearances. Where's the building?" Hotch asked

"427 Cedars avenue" Garcia read.

"It's not far from here" Bill explained.

"All right. Let's go check the building. You two…" Hotch started to say.

"Talk to the family, got it" Lilith finished for him.

"Thanks, Garcia" JJ said hanging up and the team disbursed.

….

"Why do they always seem so normal?" Lilith asked JJ as they knocked on the door of Jane and Stan Howard. A little girl wearing a pink dress answered looking confused.

"Who are you?" She asked confused.

"Hi. I'm Lilith, and this is Jennifer" Lilith introduced as Jane came running to the door.

"Hello, ma'am, we're here from the FBI" Lilith said showing Jane her badge. Jane let them inside and JJ looked after the daughter Jessica while Lilith spoke with Jane.

"Where is your husband?" Lilith asked.

"He's with a patient" Jane said simply.

"You know, he shut down his practice a year ago" Lilith informed her.

"Excuse me? No, that's not possible. He wouldn't do something like that without talking to me first" Jane said in denial.

"He referred his patients to other doctors and allowed his license to expire" Lilith explained.

"What's happening?" Jane asked confused as Lilith took a seat and motioned for Jane to do so as well.

"Has Stan been acting strangely lately?" Lilith asked carefully.

"Well, he's had... some issues since his mother died last year, but... I mean, he refused to go to her funeral, but they were never close. Stan always said it was because of her that he became a psychiatrist" Jane explained as Lilith listened silently before her phone started to ring.

"Hey, Fallon. We're at the office. The building's gone" Hotch said to Lilith as she sighed and hung up before turning to Jane.

"Mrs. Howard, my team just went to your husband's work. The building is gone" Lilith said softly.

"What do you mean, it's gone?" Jane asked shocked and confused.

"We need to figure out where Stan's been going every day" Lilith said a little bit more firmly this time as she knew a woman may be in danger.

"I don't know" Jane said in a daze.

"Where would he go, Mrs. Howard?" Lilith asked again.

"My family has commercial property downtown. I…maybe…" Jane said and Lilith left her to call Hotch back up. Hotch, Morgan, Bill and Reid quickly drove to the property with SWAT and local police.

"There are no tenants in this building. These must be fake names" Bill said as they walked into the building.

"Helps with the ruse. Goodman's on the fifth floor" Morgan said as they went upstairs and moved through the office with their guns out.

"It's clear! Back area's clear!" Morgan said as they checked every room.

"Missy Cassell was the last person to sign in" Hotch said reading Stan's files.

"When was that?" Reid asked.

"Hours ago. All right, let's split up. Calvert, you and Reid take the west side" Hotch said as Bill and Reid left the office.

"It definitely looks like he's still here" Morgan said to Hotch.

"He's not gonna go quietly" Hotch warned as they left the office and searched the building until Hotch and Morgan found him on the stairs outside the building.

"Stan Howard, FBI! Stay where you are!" Morgan yelled out before chasing up upstairs to the roof.

"Morgan, slow down. Tell Reid and Calvert that we found him" Hotch said as they ran up the stairs.

"Reid, it's Morgan. We got Howard. Call the fire department. He's going to the roof" Morgan said into the phone before hanging up.

"Dr. Howard? I'm Aaron Hotchner. I'm with the FBI" Hotch said once they found him standing on the ledge of the roof.

"Don't ask me to come down" Stan said coldly.

"We found at least 15 people. It's over" Hotch said simply.

"They sacrificed themselves for science" Stan explained.

"You know this is the easy way out. If you come down, we'd like to talk to you. You know you'll never get over your fear by killing yourself or your patients" Hotch said.

"Most people go into law enforcement because they want to help others. I think your greatest fear is that you can't save everyone. It is worse than I thought" Stan said before taking a step off the roof and falling to the ground, dead.

"We found Missy Cassell's car in a parking lot next to the building. Howard's is around back" Bill explained.

"Before he jumped, he said that my biggest fear was not being able to save everybody" Hotch said to Morgan.

"Hotch, this guy wasn't well in the head" Morgan tried to explain.

"I know that, but what I think he meant was that she's here somewhere" Hotch explained before Reid found them outside. He paused slightly at the sight of Stan's head cracked open on the cement before recovering.

"I went through all of his journals and I found Missy's." Reid explained.

"What did it say?" Hotch asked.

"That she was going on a cave-diving trip. She wasn't scared of the water, but she was terrified of the walls crumbling down on her?" Reid explained.

"So what's she afraid of?" Bill asked.

"Being buried alive" Reid explained.

"Guys, look at the dirt under his nails" Hotch said looking at Stan's hand.

"She's gotta be close, guys" Morgan added.

"Is there a basement in this building?" Hotch asked Bill.

"Yes" Bill said before they ran down to the basement and found a chamber full of dirt.

"Guys, over here. Over here. Right here. Hold that. Reid?" Hotch said handing Reid a flashlight as Morgan and Hotch dug until they found an arm.

"Oh, my god" Morgan said as they dug her out quickly.

"Be careful. That's her head. Help me to get her arm. Be careful" Morgan said grabbing Missy's arm.

"Oh, not too hard. Not too hard. She might be stuck" Hotch said getting into the dirt.

"Got her?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah" Hotch said, his forearms under the dirt grabbing Missy and pulling her unconscious form out of the dirt.

"Tell them to call paramedics" Hotch said to Bill.

"I got it" Bill said running off.

"Oh, my god" Morgan said shocked.

"Missy? Missy? Ok, faint heartbeat. Clear her area" Hotch said as Missy woke up and started struggling.

"It's ok. It's all right. We're here to help. It's ok. It's ok. You're going to be all right. We're here to help you. You're going to be all right" Hotch said as Missy stopped struggling.

…

Morgan looked around the plane as JJ slept curled up in a ball and then he looked over to find Reid and Lilith asleep cuddling on the lounge. Then he looked across to find Hotch, wide awake.

"I, um... Can't sleep." Morgan said as Hotch watched him curiously.

"Want me to turn off the light?" Hotch asked.

"No. I wont be able to sleep" Morgan said sighing.

"What's the matter?" Hotch asked concerned.

"What's the matter with you, Hotch? You're sitting here doing work when you'd normally take a break. Please don't tell me it's about Gideon leaving" Morgan asked worried.

"You know, we made a deal a long time ago not to profile each other" Hotch said sighing.

"Am I wrong? You know, Hotch, today was a huge, huge victory for all of us. I mean, I never thought I'd say this, but... we're doing just fine without Gideon. Hotch. What's keeping you up tonight?" Morgan asked worried as Hotch looked over at Lilith and Reid's sleeping bodies and sighed sadly.

"Haley's left. And I don't know if she's coming back" Hotch admitted to Morgan before the lights flickered back on and the jet started to land. Lilith woke up first and sat up slightly but was careful not to wake Reid, who was laying on her arm.

"You okay Hotch?" Lilith asked after feeling the atmosphere in the room. Hotch smiled sadly at Lilith and nodded before going to wake up JJ. Lilith shared a worried look with Morgan before shaking Reid awake gently.

"Love?" Reid asked confused and sleepily making Morgan snicker at the pet name. Reid sat up and rubbed his face finally realizing where he was, while Lilith glared warningly at Morgan. Morgan chuckled before leaving them alone.

"You want to come over to mine tonight?" Reid asked Lilith, grabbing her hand with his.

"Of course, I'll drive though because you look like you're going to drop any minute" Lilith teased playfully before they got up and left the jet with the team.

….


	15. Chapter 15

**Children of the Dark**

"Hey, you ready to go or what?" Lilith called out to Reid as she grabbed her bag and jacket. They were just about to go to dinner at Hotch's house.

"I'm coming!" Reid called out and walked out of the Lilith's bedroom just as her phone started to ring. Lilith grabbed her mobile and saw it was Hotch.

"Hey Hotch, we are just leaving the house now, Reid takes longer than a 17-year-old girl to get ready" Lilith joked as Reid threw a pillow at her before watching as she sighed in disappointment and hung up.

"We got a case" Lilith said to Reid who pouted and hugged Lilith tightly before they left her house and drove to the BAU together.

"Hey, sorry about dinner, we will work out another time to do it" Hotch said to Lilith as they walked into the conference room together were Morgan and JJ were waiting.

"The Halbert family. They were murdered in their home last night in the Denver suburb of cherry creek. It's the third home invasion like this in the last month" JJ explained after Reid, Hotch and Lilith took their seats.

"They kill everyone?" Hotch asked.

"Parents, kids, pets if they have them. Always families, nice neighbourhoods" JJ confirmed.

"What do they take?" Morgan asked.

"Nothing they can't fit in their pockets... Cash, jewellery" JJ explained.

"Hundreds of ways to get cash and jewels without killing entire families" Hotch stated and Lilith nodded in agreement.

"That's why home invasions are so hard to profile... Multiple motives" Morgan explained.

"National statistics show an uptick in home invasions over the last few years,18% in Colorado" Reid stated.

"You know it's bad if they're inviting us back" Hotch muttered.

"Back?" JJ asked confused.

"Well, things went bad after the Jon Bent Ramsey case when a couple of agents publicly criticized local detectives" Hotch explained.

"Well, they didn't need us to make them look bad" Morgan added.

"And that was in boulder" JJ asked.

"Yeah, but the state-wide media ran with it, and it took on a life of its own" Hotch explained.

"Well, I talked to a lieutenant Nellis. Trust me. They want our help" JJ said firmly while Lilith read the case file in front of her.

"They need it. The first 2 invasions were 20 days apart. This last one was just 9 days later" Lilith read from the file.

"So they're killing in faster cycles, acquiring a taste" Morgan said.

"And getting better at it every time" Hotch added.

…

"Home invasions typically involve the elderly and single females. The fact that entire families are being targeted suggests multiple unsubs" Reid explained as they sat on the jet and went over the case.

"Could mean gang-related, revenge motive, personal business" Morgan suggested.

"I don't think any of these victims are running in gang circles" JJ said slightly amused.

"Sewing circles, more like it. PTA. Moms, gray-flannel dads... These guys are killing the cleavers" Lilith muttered looking at the photos.

"Strange" Reid commented to himself.

"The pattern?" Hotch asked curiously.

"No, the cleavers. Of all the names for a 1950s idyllic TV family, I mean, it's rife with violent implication. Kind of makes you wonder how the writers really felt about suburbia, huh?" Reid explained making Lilith chuckle and shake her head at Reid.

"Focus, please" Hotch said sternly making Lilith wink at Reid causing a smile.

"Uh, ok, what about, um, class-based uprising? Helter skelter?" Lilith suggested.

"There's no graffiti, no messages, at least not visible ones. There's no rituals" Morgan explained.

"Manson's aim was to start a race war. There's no proof of any hate crime here" Reid added and Lilith nodded accepting their arguments.

"The parent murders are brutal, messy. The instruments vary. Uh, golf club, kitchen knife, iron" Hotch listed from the file in front of him.

"Household implements, symbols of family" Morgan added.

"But the kids were different. They died by injection, pentobarbital" JJ explained.

"It's a barbiturate sometimes used as an anticonvulsant for epileptics, anxiety disorders, and state executions" Reid added.

"The invasions are well planned. Phone lines are cut. Ligature marks show the parents were bound and gagged" Hotch explained.

"Look like these guys had some robbery experience" Morgan said.

"And then found their true calling" Lilith muttered thinking about her parents.

….

"No sign of forced entry" Nellis said to Lilith and Hotch as they checked out the newest crime scene.

"Same as the other 2 houses, right?" Lilith asked.

"Yeah" Nellis confirmed.

"So, it's late, and the doorbell rings. I come over, and I flip the switch" Hotch said as he flipped the light switch to the front porch but nothing happened. Hotch looked back at Lilith who raised an eyebrow as he walked outside and turned the lightbulb to make it turn on.

"They made it dark. No one sees anything if they're walking by" Lilith stated.

"But I can still see through the peephole" Hotch said as he walked inside and shut the door to look through the peephole.

"If you look like trouble, I might not let you in... But if you look nonthreatening, maybe I open up" Hotch explained.

"So the occupants either knew them, or they lied their way in" Lilith stated.

"With this kind of overkill, there's usually history" Hotch stated and Lilith nodded as she followed him through the house.

"Right. If it was just about eliminating witnesses, it would never have been so vicious. This is rage" Lilith said as they looked at where the bodies were found.

"You think they know the families?" Nellis asked.

"It's possible" Lilith said softly.

"And then there's the kids... Tucked in, quiet, orderly, controlled" Hotch said.

"Speaks to an introvert with some capacity for remorse. 2 profiles" Lilith realized and Hotch nodded.

"2 unsubs" Hotch confirmed.

"Have these chairs been moved?" Hotch asked looking over to see two chairs perfectly in line and opposite the lounge.

"No. It's all how we found it" Nellis confirmed.

"So they've been positioned to face the area where the parents were killed. Everything's been cleared out like a stage" Hotch explained taking a seat.

"It's entertainment. They sit and watch the parents die" Lilith added.

"Maybe" Hotch muttered still not sure. Lilith looked around the room and saw Reid out the front window talking to the neighbour.

"I came by about 9:00 to return the Pyrex. No one answered when I rang the bell, but lights were on inside" The neighbour explained.

"Did you happen to look in the windows?" Reid asked curiously.

"Not then, no. I had my cell phone. I was gonna call, but I... I couldn't get a signal, which was strange" The neighbour explained.

"Why was that strange?" Reid asked.

"You always get a signal here. There's a tower on the next block. Uh, I left the dish. This morning, it was still here... So, I came over. Th-that's when I looked inside" The neighbour continued.

"And you called the police on your cell" Reid stated confused.

"Yeah" The neighbour confirmed confused as well. The team went back to the local station and got set up in a temporary office.

"These guys don't lack confidence. Targeting entire families is a high-risk endeavour" Hotch said.

"It's possible they're minimizing that risk by jamming cell phones inside the house. No one can call out" Reid explained.

"High tech. That narrows the profile, right?" Nellis asked the team hopefully.

"Not really" Reid muttered.

"Oh, you can buy a hand-held jammer online for what, 100 bucks?" JJ explained simply.

"I could use one of those next times I go to the movies" Nellis joked making Morgan chuckle before his phone started to ring.

"Hey, girl. You're on speaker. Behave" Morgan said to Garcia putting the phone on speaker.

"Or what, you'll spank me?" Garcia teased making Morgan shake his head and Lilith chuckle at Nellis confused face.

"So I've been searching the area for unsolved robberies. I found 4 with similar elements... Phone lines cut, small valuables only" Garcia explained typing away on her computer.

"Occupants tied up?" Morgan asked.

"Yes, but no homicides" Garcia explained.

"Ok. Thanks, doll face. I'll call you back" Morgan said hanging up.

"Well, if this is our guys, something made them graduate to murder" Hotch said.

"If we can figure out what that trigger was, it might tell us how they choose their victims" Lilith added.

"Well, that would help. I been looking into victimology, and so far, there's really nothing to connect the families. Different political affiliations, different careers, different school systems. At this point, it simply appears the unsubs are targeting their victims at random" Morgan explained annoyed. The team sat in silence for a moment before Lilith rubbed her forehead and sighed.

"Fallon, what's wrong?" Hotch asked concerned making Reid walk over to his girlfriend and kneel next to her.

"The Blackwell's chose their victims at random. Different boys, different places, even different looks. You know how the Blackwell chose their victims?" Lilith asked softly, not mentioning they were her parents because of Nellis.

"How?" Hotch asked.

"They made a list of places they could find little boys at and then made their daughter Lily roll two dice. The first number was what place they went to and the second number was the boy they picked…" Lilith explained making the team watch her worried.

"My point is, if these guys are doing something similar like taking it in turns to pick a family from different places they visit we may never find out how they choose their victims" Lilith explained as the team nodded in agreement. Lilith looked at Reid and smiled softly so he knew she was okay.

…..


	16. Chapter 16

"So, you are getting better at talking about the Blackwell's" Reid said proudly to Lilith as they got ready the next morning at the hotel room.

"I guess I just don't let it control me anymore. I mean, despite my childhood I have the career of my dreams, I am dating my best friend and I'm not having nightmares every week. I'm happy" Lilith said grabbing Reid's hands and pulling them around her.

"I'm glad because so am I" Reid whispered before kissing Lilith lightly on the lips. They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"What?" Lilith yelled out making Reid chuckle.

"We need to deliver the profile. You two lovers can play later" Morgan called out laughing at the end as Reid groaned embarrassed while Lilith just kissed his nose and they left the hotel to go back to the police station.

"We're looking for 2 men, probably white, given the neighbourhoods that they hit, mid to late twenties, intelligent, and organized" Hotch said as the team stood in front of the local police to deliver the profile.

"These are career criminals. One or both has done hard time, but neither presents as a convict. They would appear clean-shaven, well dressed..." Morgan started to say.

"Neighbourly. This helps them talk their way into the homes. They may also be using a ruse" Lilith finished for Morgan.

"What kind of ruse?" Nellis asked.

"Given that the invasions have taken place in the evening, it could be anything. Could be door-to-door sales, person in distress, car trouble" Hotch explained.

"Uh, Derrick Todd Lee used a tape of a baby crying to get women to open their doors in Baton Rouge. Never underestimate their creativity" Reid added.

"These men share a very tight bond and a mutual compulsion to kill, but their signatures reveal 2 very distinct personalities" Lilith said.

"One brutalizes the parents. This is the dominant one... Sadistic, remorseless, extremely volatile" Hotch explained.

"The other prefers a needle. His injections are consistent with an angel of death. He's more withdrawn, sensitive, and he has a warped sense of mercy" Lilith added.

"Agent Morgan is passing out a list of places where he might have access to the drug he uses. It's long, but..." Hotch started to explained before JJ walked into the room quickly.

"Hotch. There's been another one, and they're sending an ambulance" JJ said quickly.

"Ambulance?" Lilith asked confused.

"There's a survivor?" Hotch asked shocked and JJ nodded before Hotch looked over at Lilith.

"Fallon, go with JJ to the hospital" Hotch ordered and JJ and Lilith took off to the hospital and Hotch, Morgan and Reid went to the newest crime scene.

"You can inform the next of kin, but ask them to keep it close. I don't want the media to know there's a survivor" Hotch said as he walked into the house to find Morgan staring at the parents bloodied bodies.

"Kid's in his room down the hall" Morgan said.

"How old?" Hotch asked thinking of his own son.

"7. You all right?" Morgan asked.

"Least they left the flowers alive, right?" Hotch asked sarcastically.

"Looks like the bodies were moved post mortem" Morgan explained.

"The daughter had blood on her when they found her?" Hotch asked turning to face Morgan instead of the dead bodies.

"She must have woken up, come out here, and found them" Morgan explained.

"You answer your door, and the next thing you know, everyone you care about is gone" Hotch said before walking off.

"If it was me, I'd wanna be gone, too" Morgan muttered looking back at the bodies.

"Hey, Hotch! They only take things with monetary value, right? Jewellery and cash, no souvenirs?" Morgan asked as he looked through the loungeroom.

"Far as we know" Hotch said.

"One of them just broke pattern" Morgan said looking at a missing photo on the wall.

…

"She's lucky to be alive. The injection went into the soft tissue of the arm, missed the vein" The doctor explained to Lilith and JJ as they walked towards the survivor's room.

"That's a first. This guy doesn't miss" Lilith stated.

"Like I said, she's lucky" The Doctor agreed.

"She conscious?" JJ asked.

"She's in and out. Keep in mind she's suffering the effects of an acute barbiturate overdose. She's drowsy, confused" The doctor explained.

"Given what's happened, that's probably best" Lilith said thinking back to when she was taking to the hospital after the FBI arrested her parents.

"I went to get a bag... but when I got back, there were 2 of them" The survivor, Carrie explained once Lilith and JJ got to her room.

"What did the other one look like?" Lilith asked softly.

"Heavier... Hispanic... Quiet. He never looked straight ahead" Carrie explained.

"What do you mean?" JJ asked confused.

"Like... A few times, I felt him staring at me. When I looked up, he always looked away" Carrie explained.

"Avoiding eye contact?" Lilith suggested and Carrie nodded before continuing.

"Then my dad came in from the study, and... They jumped him. They made Danny call for my mom, and they tied them up. And then one of 'em went over, got the thing from the fireplace, he started hitting them with it. And they made us watch" Carrie said starting to cry.

"Ok, you know what? We can take a break..." JJ started to say.

"No. You need this, right?" Carrie said quickly and JJ nodded.

"After a while, the quiet one took Danny away, and the other one just started going through drawers, looking for stuff. And I ran" Carrie explained reliving the memory in her mind.

…..


	17. Chapter 17

"Witness says these unsubs are using cats. We should find out where they might be getting them" Hotch said back at the local station.

"There's plenty of strays out there. Nobody would notice if a few went missing" Morgan said as Lilith walked into the room and stood next to Reid.

"Or they could work someplace where they had access to animals" Lilith suggested.

"Could overlap with the pentobarbital... Research labs, veterinary hospitals" Reid continued smiling at Lilith.

"I'll get Garcia to make up a list" Morgan said walking off to make the call.

"Carrie said that they referred to each other as brothers" JJ explained.

"It's not uncommon for duos to be related. The hillside stranglers were cousins. The Carr brothers perpetrated the Wichita massacre" Reid stated.

"Yeah, but these two are of different races, and Carrie said the Hispanic one did not speak Spanish, which makes me think..." Lilith started to say.

"Raised in a white household. Maybe they're half-brothers" Hotch finished for Lilith.

"What if they're adopted? Family destruction plays a role in the crimes. It could be a reflection of their own broken home" Reid suggested.

"This guy expressed affection for Carrie. We know he took her photograph. We could use that" Hotch said standing up.

"If we release news of her survival, it might draw him out" Reid suggested making Lilith noticeably wince at the suggestion.

"Not comfortable with that?" Hotch asked Lilith who sighed.

"Ok, but I would be more comfortable if we doubled her security" Lilith said firmly.

…..

"Hey. So Carrie's been cleared to go" Lilith said as JJ walked up to her back at the hospital.

"Well, I wish she had somewhere to go" JJ said sadly.

"No luck with the L.A thing? Can't this girl catch a break?" Lilith said sighing before they heard screams coming from Carries room. They ran through the hallways to find her screaming in her sleep.

"Carrie. Carrie. Carrie. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. It's ok" JJ said grabbing onto Carrie's shoulders while Lilith stood nearby.

"Oh, it was Daddy" Carrie cried.

"It's ok. It's just a dream. Ok" JJ said hugging her.

"I'm ok" Carrie said sitting back.

"We, uh... We brought you a change of clothes" Lilith said trying to move on past the nightmares that she knew all about.

"I... I didn't know what to grab you, so I just got three of everything" JJ explained.

"From the house" Carrie said softly and JJ nodded.

"Looks like a flower shop in here" Lilith said looking around the hospital room at all the flowers.

"Yeah. They all started, um... Coming in after the news broadcast" Carrie explained before Lilith's eyes landed on a set of purple flowers.

"We got to go" Lilith said to JJ and they left the hospital and got in the car.

"You okay?" JJ asked softly as she realized Lilith was being extremely quiet on the drive back to the station.

"That girl is going to have nightmares for the rest of her life… I know what that's like" Lilith admitted.

"You still have them?" JJ asked worried but Lilith shook her head.

"Not as much… I haven't had one in a few weeks but I know it will happen again eventually. It always does" Lilith explained bitterly before getting out of the car and walking over to Hotch.

"Exact same floral arrangement was in the Ortiz living room" Lilith explained to Hotch.

"Could be coincidence" Hotch said.

"Or the sender was in the house, associated it with her" Lilith explained.

"No note?" Hotch asked.

"No, just a blank card from the floral shop" Lilith explained.

"Get Garcia to track the delivery, and Reid's got something for us when you're done" Hotch explained walking off as Lilith pulled out her phone.

"Hey, Garcia. It's Fallon" Lilith said once Garcia picked up.

"Why cats?" Garcia asked sadly.

'Sorry?" Lilith asked confused.

"Evil has no boundaries" Garcia muttered.

"Well, for what it's worth, I think they go peacefully" Lilith said trying to be helpfully.

"Yeah. How do I catch these guys?" Garcia asked typing away.

"Uh, back-trace a flower delivery for me" Lilith explained before looking up to find Reid watching her from the conference room. she nodded at him giving him the go ahead to start without her.

"This is the Laybourne house, where we believe our unsubs graduated from robbery to murder" Reid said pointing to the photos.

"Did you find a trigger?" Morgan asked.

"Not until I looked at the daughter's autopsy reports. Uh, check out the bruises on her torso" Reid explained.

"She was beaten?" Hotch asked.

"But not by our unsubs. The coroner noted those bruises were several days old. Uh, it turns out she'd been to the emergency room 3 times in less than 2 years. The D.S had even been notified" Reid explained.

"So the Laybournes were abusing their daughter. Where's this going?" Hotch asked.

"One of the unsubs decimates parental figures, but we know the statistics there. It's... It's likely he was abused himself" Reid explained.

"So you're saying the unsub recognized the signs of abuse, flew into a rage, and killed the parents?" Hotch asked.

"Anger displacement. He's getting revenge for his own childhood abuse" Reid stated.

"So you think what, the victims were beating their kids?" Nellis asked.

"Uh, the Laybourne case was just the trigger, but now they see all parents the same" Reid explained.

"That doesn't explain the kids" Nellis said.

"Maybe it does. Think of the family annihilators John List and Mark Barton. They thought they were saving their kids by killing them" Morgan explained spinning around to face Nellis.

"But what is he saving them from?" Nellis asked.

"Life without their parents, without love, life like his" Morgan explained.

"They're orphans. What if they both grew up in a third-party household?" Reid suggested.

"What, like a foster home?" Nellis asked confused.

"Didn't Carrie describe an aversion to eye contact?" Hotch asked looking at the board of crime scene photos.

"Oppositional defiant disorder" Reid stated.

"Often seen in kids who grew up in foster homes" Hotch explained before Lilith walked into the room quickly.

"Guys, I think we may have found our girl's secret admirer" Lilith said holding a notepad.

"Garcia traced the flowers?" Morgan asked shocked.

"Yep. Paid for by phone with a credit card under the name Robert Serrano" Lilith explained as Reid, Morgan and Hotch went to the address listed with the credit card only to find it was another crime scene.

"Detective. Flowers weren't the only thing they bought on that stolen credit card. $31 worth of gas at a station 3 blocks from here" Morgan explained to Nellis as he arrived the house with the local police.

"Paul, the station... See if you can pull the security camera footage, I.D that car" Nellis said to a local police officer.

"Security chain's been broken. They couldn't lie their way in this time" Hotch explained walking out of the house.

"Media blew their M.O" Nellis stated.

"They're speeding up, feel us getting close" Morgan stated as Nellis saw a dead body get taken past them.

"This is close?" Nellis asked softly before Morgan's phone rang.

"Talk to me, Garcia" Morgan said into the phone before putting it on loud speaker.

"So, felons in the Denver area with foster background, stress on assaults and burglaries" Garcia explained.

"What'd you get?" Morgan asked.

"The phone book. Foster system's a bit of a breeding ground, go figure" Garcia said sarcastically.

"Well, try crossing it with..." Morgan started to say before being interrupted.

"With offenders having workplace access to small animals and/or pentobarbital?" Garcia finished smugly.

"How many names?" Morgan asked.

"9. Matching all 3 criteria. Sending them now" Garcia said before hanging up.

"Now we're close" Morgan said to Nellis before walking off to find Hotch.

…


	18. Chapter 18

"Cameras at that gas station grabbed a visual of the car. Olds mobile, mid-eighties, partial plate only" Nellis explained back at the station.

"Anything on the driver?" Hotch asked as he and Lilith were putting out pictures of the 9 suspects.

"It was fuzzy" Nellis said.

"Well, then I guess it's gonna be up to her" Lilith said as JJ lead Carrie into the station.

"She up for it?" Hotch asked concerned.

"I don't know" Lilith said honestly before walking over to Carrie and leading her to the table of the suspects photos.

"This one" Carrie said pointing to a photo.

"Are you sure?" Lilith asked softly and Carrie nodded.

"Ok, that's an Ervin Robles. Last known is 39 hill street" Morgan explained.

"That's downtown" Nellis explained.

"Employed by the Denver city pound. Let's go" Hotch said as Lilith grabbed her vest and walked over to Carrie.

"Your parents would be really proud of you" Lilith said to her.

"It's too late to be a good daughter now" Carrie cried.

"Oh, that's not true" Lilith said worried about Carrie.

"I was horrible to them. And now they're gone. Why did they do it? I mean, there has to be a reason, right?" Carrie asked desperately.

"Oh, you'll drive yourself crazy trying to figure out the reason" Lilith said.

"I go crazy every time I close my eyes" Carrie admitted and Lilith bit her lip because she knew that feeling well.

"It may have something to do with what happened to them when they were younger" Lilith explained softly while JJ watched them talk.

"Like what, they were abused or something?" Carrie asked confused.

"There's a good chance" Lilith explained nodding slightly.

"Are there any happy families?" Carrie asked teary-eyed but Lilith could say anything helpful because her family was far from happy. She left Carrie with JJ and accompanied Hotch to Ervin's work.

"Excuse me, sir. I'm Agent Hotchner with the FBI. This is Agent Fallon. We're looking for Ervin Robles" Hotch asked the manager.

"Ervin's off till the weekend" The manager explained.

"Do you have any idea where we might find him?" Hotch asked.

"You might want to try his apartment" He explained.

"We've been there. It's abandoned. Where do you send his checks?" Lilith asked.

"He picks them up. What's this about?" The manager asked worried.

"We'd just like to talk to him" Hotch lied.

"Who can we talk to that actually knows him?" Lilith asked quickly.

"Well, nobody, really. He comes in, does his job, and leaves. Real quiet. Efficient, though" His manager explained.

"Doing what?" Hotch asked.

"Well, actual title's animal care technician, but, really, he's kind of the on-site Kevorkian" He explained making Hotch and Lilith share a look.

"We need you to call him" Hotch said firmly while Lilith called the rest of the team.

"Supervisor left a message for Ervin to come in right away. Work emergency" Hotch explained to Reid as he arrived.

"He also said a man stopped by yesterday, got into a heated argument with Ervin" Lilith explained.

"The description sounded a lot like the one Carrie gave" Hotch added.

"The partner... Did he say what they were fighting about?" Reid asked.

"He couldn't hear it" Lilith explained dismissively.

"We need a name on this guy" Hotch stated.

"Well, until we find Ervin, there's only one person that can tell us that" Reid explained.

"The foster mom" Lilith agreed.

"I've noticed a change in you lately" Hotch commented as Lilith and Hotch drove to the foster family's house. Lilith shrugged.

"I'm happy. I'm not getting as many nightmares, things are going really well with Reid…" Lilith started to say before trailing of remembering Hotch and Haley were split up.

"Sorry" Lilith muttered but Hotch shook his head.

"No, don't be. I'm happy that things are so good for you. You deserve it" Hotch said honestly before they got out of the car and walked over to the foster house.

…

"My god. Ervin? Well, I mean, he had behavior problems. They all do. But nothing we couldn't handle" The foster mother, Mrs. Manwaring said to Hotch and Lilith.

"And he hasn't been acting alone, Mrs. Manwaring. He's got a partner" Hotch said.

"Perhaps someone else who grew up in your care" Lilith added before a teenage boy walked into the room and over the fridge that Lilith noticed had a lock on it.

"Tyler, the adults are talking here" Mrs. Manwaring snapped.

"I just want some milk. Can you open the fridge?" Tyler asked politely.

"You know the rules" Mrs. Manwaring said as Lilith looked at the key around her neck.

 _"_ _Lily… I'm hungry" Steve cried to a 9-year-old Lily. She shushed him softly before walking out of the locked bedroom where her parents kept the boys they kidnapped and over to her father, Justin._

 _"_ _Daddy, Stevie is hungry and if he doesn't eat soon he will die" Lily said softly flinching when Justin's eyes locked onto hers. He stood up, towering over her to intimidate her as Lily cowered down slightly._

 _"_ _Give him a piece of bread" Justin ordered._

 _"_ _He will need more" Lily started to argue but was slapped across the face hard._

 _"_ _Then give him your food if you are so worried about your precious brother but you aren't getting any more food if you do" Justin growled out before walking off leaving a stunned and scared girl on the floor with a busted lip._

"They'll eat you out of house and home if you let them" Mrs. Manwaring said snapping Lilith out of her memory. She blinked away her tears quickly before Hotch could notice.

"Is there anyone Ervin was especially close to?" Lilith said trying to forget her memory and stay neutral towards this woman.

"Someone he would have looked up to? Somebody who protected him?" Hotch added looking at Lilith worried for a second.

"Gary. We tried with him, but... He tested us" Mrs. Manwaring said sadly showing them a younger picture of Gary and Ervin.

"Have you kept in touch with him?" Hotch asked curiously.

"Oh, god, no. Gary left the day he turned 18, never looked back. Ervin was a mess when he got here. Got separated from a younger sister" Mrs. Manwaring explained.

"Where did she go?" Lilith asked.

"Nobody told me. Siblings get separated all the time. But they find new ones here" Mrs. Manwaring explained.

"Like Ervin found Gary?" Hotch asked and she nodded silently.

"What was the name of his sister, the one he was separated from?" Lilith asked curiously.

"Oh, let me think. He used to call her name out in the middle of the night, wake the whole house up. Hal, what was that girl's name Rosie, I think" Mrs. Manwaring said trying to think.

"Lucy?" Lilith offered and Mrs. Manwaring's eyes lit up with recognition.

"Yes! Lucy, Lucy, that was it" Mrs. Manwaring confirmed.

"Carrie said he called her Lucy" Lilith said to Hotch before his phone rang.

"Hotchner. Yeah, just leaving" Hotch said into the phone before hanging up.

"Ervin returned the call. He's on his way to work" Hotch explained to Lilith as they left the foster house.

"What happened back there?" Hotch asked as soon as they got in the car and started to drive to the local station where Morgan was taking Ervin.

"Just a flashback… Justin and Rosemary used to monitor the food of the boys... like Mrs. Manwaring was doing" Lilith explained softly and Hotch's eyes softened before they spent the rest of the trip in silence.

"You're not helping yourself if you don't talk to me" Morgan said to Ervin as Lilith and Hotch walked into the room as Morgan walked out of interrogation.

"He's giving me nothing. Do you want a crack at him?" Morgan asked Hotch.

"No. We can't keep going around like this" Hotch said with his arms folded.

"So, let him stew. Wear him down" Nellis suggested.

"We don't have time. We need him to find Gary" Morgan explained with a sigh.

"Kids who grew up like he did, they're incapable of forming attachments. It's not like we're gonna earn his trust" Lilith explained simply.

"Their whole M.O. was predicated on the union of their two personalities, and with Ervin out of the picture, there's no telling what Gary could do" Hotch added worried making Lilith look at Ervin with an idea. A bad idea.

"So, he won't talk to us. But maybe he'll talk to family" Lilith suggested hating the fact she had to do this.

…


	19. Chapter 19

"Remember, he'll be in, uh, handcuffs, leg irons. There'll be nothing to worry about" Hotch said as the lead Carrie through the local station towards interrogation.

"And I will be in there with you" Lilith said firmly.

"Ok" Carrie said simply.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to, Carrie" JJ said worried.

"I do" Carrie said firmly.

"Remember, we're interested in Gary. His whereabouts, his next move" Hotch explained.

"I will keep him on point about that, Carrie. Just try your best to keep him engaged" Lilith added quickly.

"This way" Hotch said softly.

"Ok, I'm... I'm sorry. Can... Can we just stop and think about this for a minute?" JJ said stopping Lilith for a second.

"She'll be ok" Lilith said but still worried.

"She's a kid. What is she trying to prove here?" JJ asked confused and Lilith sighed.

"That she can be a good daughter" Lilith said softly and JJ's eyes softened. Lilith walked after Carrie and into the interrogation room with Ervin.

"Hey. You're here. Did you, uh, did you get the flowers that I sent?" Ervin asked as they sat opposite him.

"Yeah. Pretty" Carrie said softly.

"They were to say that, uh... That I'm sorry" Ervin said to Carrie.

"Flowers aren't enough, Ervin. We need Gary" Lilith said gaining his attention.

"That won't make it up, though" Ervin said looking down.

"It's a start" Lilith added.

"No! They're gonna send you away now. Don't you see? That's what they do with all the strays. They send them away. That's why I make them go to sleep, so that they don't have to suffer" Ervin explained looking at Carrie.

"Ervin, more people are going to suffer if we can't find Gary" Lilith said.

"So, when you killed my brother, you were doing him a favour?" Carrie said angrily making Lilith shush her softly.

"It's true" Ervin insisted.

"And what about me?" Carrie snapped but Lilith interrupted.

"Let's just address one thing at a time" Lilith said trying to gain control.

"I just wanted to see you again. You look so much like Lucy, I just... I couldn't... I... I know... I know it's selfish, but..." Ervin stuttered shyly.

"Selfish? It's insane" Carrie yelled making Lilith stand up.

"Ok, Carrie, let's take a break" Lilith said firmly but Carrie continued.

"What happened to you that was so bad?" Carrie demanded.

"She used to make it... Go dark. I mean, that's what we used to call it. She would... Put me in the bath to pray. And then she'd hold my head down under the water. Sometimes I could stay awake... For like a minute... And sometimes a little more. Then it would all go dark" Ervin explained with tears in his eyes.

"They've still got kids in that house" Morgan said angrily to Hotch and JJ, who were watching the interview.

"Another kid, another welfare check" Nellis said sadly.

"Let's call D.S. And see if we can get them out of there" Hotch added.

"What is she doing?" JJ asked confused as Carrie reached out and grabbed Ervin's hand.

"They can't hurt you anymore, Ervin" Carrie said softly while Lilith was prepared to act in a moment's notice.

"I wanted to stop, but Gary, he... He went through it way, way worse when we were kids, and he... He never got the chance to fight back" Ervin cried.

"So, he fought those other families" Lilith said and Ervin nodded.

"Only because I wouldn't go back" Ervin admitted and Lilith understood everything.

"Back? Gary's going to your foster home, isn't he?" Lilith asked and Ervin nodded. Two policemen came and quickly got Ervin just as Carrie started hyperventilating and crying.

"Carrie. Oh, you did so good. you did good" Lilith said pulling Carrie into her arms. As Reid and Hotch left the station.

"So, Lilith and Carrie are getting close" Hotch said to Reid as they drove to the foster house. Hotch's face was neutral but Reid could tell Hotch was worried about it.

"You think she is being unprofessional?" Reid asked and Hotch remained silent.

"No" Hotch finally said as they pulled up to the foster home.

"What is all this?" Mrs. Manwaring asked as she walked out her front door.

"We have reason to believe that Gary may be on his way here to hurt you" Hotch said walking towards the house.

"Me? I don't understand" Mrs. Manwaring asked confused.

"These murders are rehearsals of what he wants to do to you" Reid said.

"Because of what you did to him in this house" Hotch added

"I don't know what you're talking about" Mrs. Manwaring argued.

"Ma'am, we don't have time to debate this. The fact is, you and your husband are in danger" Hotch said firmly, not wanting to hear her excused.

"I... I have to pick up the children at school" Mrs. Manwaring stuttered.

"We'll send someone to pick them up. The only way we can protect you is if you go back inside" Hotch explained firmly as he watched Mrs. Manwaring relented and walked back into the house.

…..

"Witnesses saw the kids getting into a late eighties olds mobile about 20 minutes ago," Lilith explained as Hotch pulled up outside the school.

"I heard. Denver P.D. set up a 20-mile perimeter" Hotch explained.

"What does he want with the kids?" Lilith asked worried.

"With Ervin, out of the way, maybe Gary's trying to do his job" Hotch suggested and Lilith felt sick to her stomach.

"He makes them sleep" Lilith whispered sick before Hotch's phone rang.

"Reid, what?" Hotch asked while Lilith waited anxiously.

"We got him. He's at a donut shop 2 miles from the school. Black and whites saw the car, called it in" Reid explained as he sat in the car with Nellis.

"Kids?" Hotch asked.

"Ah, we got a visual on Gary and the boy, but I don't see the girl" Reid said before someone knocked on the car window. It was the little girl.

"Are you the police?" She asked and Reid wound down his window.

"Yeah" Reid said.

"He told me to give this to you" She said handing Reid a piece of paper. Reid opened it.

"We might have a problem, Hotch" Reid said before hanging up. Lilith and Hotch left the school and pulled up at the donut shop just as SWAT appeared.

"Guys, guys, fall back, I don't want them feeling boxed in" Hotch said walking over to the SWAT leader.

"I got sharpshooters lining up" Nellis said as Reid handed Hotch the piece of paper before Lilith walked over and they shared a worried look.

"Tell them to keep their safeties on" Hotch said reading the note.

"I want to talk to him first" Hotch said as Lilith read the note over his shoulder. It said 'If you come in. I'll kill him'.

"Hotch? Got the clerk" JJ said handing Hotch the phone.

"That guy sitting at the table with the little boy, I'd like to speak to him, please" Hotch explained to the man on the phone.

"Who's this?" Gary asked into the phone as they watched Gary stand up with the boy and position him so he was using the boy as a human shield.

"I'm the only thing standing between you and a bullet" Hotch said firmly.

"Bring it. I always wanted to die in a donut shop" Gary replied sarcastically.

"And never see Ervin again? He told us what the Manwaring's did to you in that house" Hotch said watching Gary through the window.

"I don't care what he told you, it's history" Gary lied.

"They're the objects of your anger, Gary, not that little boy in there" Hotch explained as Reid walked over to Lilith and smiled softly at her.

"It's too late for the boy, regardless" Gary said simply.

"No, it's not. It's not, Gary. And deep down, I think you know that he still has a chance. He doesn't have to be you" Hotch explained.

"Maybe. Maybe not. So, what say we leave it up to him" Gary said hanging up.

"What is it? What'd he say?" Nellis asked worried as Gary let the boy go.

"Tyler! Come here! Come on" Morgan said running and picking up Tyler.

"Gary, put your hands up where I can see them. Don't move! Get down on your knees. Interlace your fingers behind your head. Give me this hand. Give me this hand. Get on your feet" Morgan and the SWAT said as they arrested him.

"I don't know what you did, but nice work" Nellis said to Hotch, who was still watching Gary confused.

"Thanks" Hotch said as Lilith and Morgan got the children in a car.

"Yeah, I understand that, I'm just... I'm asking if there's some type of alternative for them. Nothing? Yes, I got it. Don't ask me to like it" Morgan said annoyed before hanging up the phone.

"Well, what? What is it?" Lilith asked but deep down she knew the answer.

"Social services won't intervene until they do a full investigation" Morgan explained bitterly.

"We have to take them home?" Lilith asked fuming and Morgan placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah" He said sadly before getting in the car and they drove them back to the house.

"Tyler... I need to talk to you for a second. Kid, listen to me. Anything you ever need, any problem you might be having here at home, I want you to know you can call me. Any time, Tyler. You understand? Any time." Morgan said kneeling in front of Tyler and handing him a card with his number on it.

"This sucks" Lilith spat bitterly as she watched the children disappear into the house with Mrs. Manwaring before Lilith's phone rang.

"Yeah, Hotch? We just dropped them off. We're leaving. The backpacks? No, why? Why would we search the back...?" Lilith asked before they heard a gunshot go off in the house. Morgan and Lilith ran into the house with their guns draw. They saw Mrs. Manwaring on the flooring scared but unhurt and Tyler with his gun pointed at the photos on the wall, which now had bullet holes in them.

"Tyler! Drop that gun" Morgan said firmly, pointing their weapons at him.

"Are you hurt?" Lilith asked Mrs. Manwaring.

"No" She said shaking her head.

"Tyler... come on kid, take it easy" Morgan begged

"They're lies" Tyler said sadly.

"I know. But you could have come in here, and you could have made her pay, and you didn't, because you're good. You're not Gary. No. You're nothing like him. Look at me. I don't want to hurt you, ok? Let's make a deal. You give me that gun, and I promise you, I will walk you out of here and you will never have to come back. Sound good? Yeah?" Morgan asked putting away his gun but Lilith still had hers out.

"Ok. Give me the gun" Morgan said as Tyler lowered his gun and handed to Morgan, who quickly handed it to Lilith before gathering Morgan in his arms.

"I got you. I got you" Morgan whispered as they carried him from the house.

…

"I could take her" Lilith said leaning against the door frame looking at Hotch.

"Take her?" Hotch asked confused but he knew what she was talking about. He was worried this would happen.

"Carrie. To D.C" Lilith explained as she helped him pack up the files.

"You mean to live with you?" Hotch asked and Lilith nodded.

"Why would you want to do that?" Hotch asked and Lilith bit her lip and shrugged slightly.

"I have room, money, and, you know, she's smart. 2, 3 years, she goes to college" Lilith explained quietly.

"Fallon… this is the job, and I need to know that you can be objective" Hotch said carefully and Lilith stood up straight and looked at Hotch in the eyes.

"And I need to know that I'm not like my parents. I need to know that I can be human" Lilith countered and Hotch nodded.

"J.J. heard from the family, and they're on their way from L.A" Hotch explained and Lilith's heart dropped slightly.

"That's... That's great" Lilith said half-heartedly before leaving and meeting up with the team at the jet to take them home.

"Tell me they restocked the bar" Morgan muttered as they walked onto the plane.

"I called ahead" JJ said as Reid sat beside Lilith and rested his head on her shoulder, hugging her arm lovingly as he fell asleep.

"You ok?" JJ asked sitting down across from Lilith and a sleeping Reid.

"Yeah" Lilith said smiling softly.

"They're good people. Carrie's family" JJ explained and Lilith smiled.

"Good. I'm glad" She said happily.

"I think it's a good idea, though" JJ said and Lilith look at her confused.

"What's that?" Lilith asked tired.

"You. Kids. I can see it" JJ said looking at both Reid and Lilith, thinking about how cute their kids would be and what wonderful parents they would make before walking off to find somewhere to sleep.

"You'd be a great mother" Reid whispered sleepily from her shoulder and kissed her cheek lovingly.

….


End file.
